DGCA fines Rs 30 lakh on Air India for wheelchair incident

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a financial penalty of 30 lakhs on Air India following a distressing incident on February 16, where an 80-year-old passenger collapsed and died at Mumbai’s airport terminal after walking from the aircraft due to non-availability of a wheelchair.

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Reports indicate that the elderly passenger, who arrived on an Air India flight from New York, had requested a wheelchair at Mumbai airport. However, he decided to walk alongside his spouse, who was also on a wheelchair, due to heavy demand for wheelchair assistance. Tragically, he collapsed during the immigration process and subsequently passed away.

The DGCA stated that Air India failed to inform about any action taken against the responsible employee(s) or submit corrective measures to prevent such incidents in the future. Earlier this month, the DGCA issued a show cause notice to Air India, to which the airline submitted its response on February 20.