Wheelchair Unavailability Led To Heart Attack: 80-Yr-Old Walks For 1 Km At Mumbai Airport, Dies

An 80-year-old man suffered an heart attack and collapsed at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after walking 1 km due to unavailability of a wheelchair. The man and his wife had arrived in Mumbai on an Air India flight from New York. There was only one wheelchair available for the aged couple.

Mumbai: The unavailability of a wheelchair claimed life of an elderly passenger at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The shocking incident occurred on February 12 when an 80-year-old passenger, who had requested wheelchair assistance from the airport staff for an Air India flight from New York to Mumbai, walked about 1 km and collapsed due to a heart attack. The deceased flyer, accompanied by his wife, was proceeding through immigration. The elderly couple had pre-booked two wheelchairs but staff provided only one to the wife, reported TOI. The 80-year-old was walking alongside his wife and when they reached the immigration counter, the man collapsed suffered a heart attack and collapsed.

“One of our gusts flying from New York to Mumbai on 12th February fell ill while proceeding to clear immigration with his wife, who was in a wheelchair. Due to heavy demand for wheelchairs, we had requested the passenger to wait till he was also provided with wheelchair assistance but he opted to walk along with his spouse. As advised by the airport doctor attending to him after taking ill, the passenger was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was declared to have passed away,” Air India Spokesperson said.

Wheelchair Shortage

The elderly deceased, identified as an Indian-origin US passport holder and he was travelling in economy class on an Air India flight from New York to Mumbai.

“There were 32 wheelchair passengers on this flight, but only 15 wheelchairs with accompanying staff on ground waiting on ground to help them,” TOI quoted an airport source.

Air India spokesperson stated that the airline is in constant touch with family members to extend support.

“We’ve often found that aged couples aren’t comfortable parting with the spouse and travelling alone from the aircraft to the airport terminal. Those with mobility issues, hearing problems prefer to stay with each other when moving from the aircraft through the terminal building,” TOI quoted a ground staff.

Notably, the Air India Flight was supposed to land in the Indian city at around 11.30 but got delayed landed at 2:10pm.

Not The First Incident

Earlier this month, airport staff at Kolkata airport told a wheelchair-bound woman to stand up. This happened during security clearance at the airport.

She wrote in a post on X, “Yesterday evening during the security clearance at Kolkata airport, the officer asked me (a wheelchair user) to stand up, not once but thrice. First, she asked me to get up and walk two steps into the kiosk. I told her I can’t as I have a disability. Inside, she again asked me to stand up. I said, I can’t. She said sirf do minute khade ho jao (Please stand for two minutes). I explained again that I have a disability by birth. This appalling lack of empathy has left me shaken, furious. There have been instances in the past too, and show that Kolkata airport has learnt nothing from them.”