KOZHIKODE: A 15-year-old boy and his family had a harrowing experience when the staff of a private airline allegedly denied them entry on the flight. They felt he was unfit to travel as he carried a feeding tube inserted after a surgery.The incident took place at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, on March 18 when Ishan Kolakadan and his family reached the airport to board a SpiceJet flight to Kozhikode. According to Ishan’s elder brother Ramees, who was flying with him, the airline staff noticed Ishan was wearing a feeding tube when they were at the check-in counter.
“The tube was inserted after a surgery to remove a tracheostomy tube. The staff informed us they need approval from their doctor before they issue a boarding pass and asked us to submit all relevant medical reports which we did,” said Ramees.The family had met with an accident while they were on their way from Bengaluru to Chennai on September 11. “Ishan was discharged from the hospital with a tracheostomy tube to assist his breathing after months of treatment, “ said Subair Kolakadan, Ishan’s father. “His condition improved over time. We flew to Delhi on March 1 for a surgery to remove the tracheostomy tube.”
Ramees said, after an hour or so the staff told them according to their doctor, Ishan was not fit enough to travel, so the family was grounded. “When we said the hospital and discharge summary says he is fit to travel, they said the decision has been made as per the airline’s policy,” he said. The family demanded to speak with the doctor. After an hour, they were put through to the doctor over the phone; he didn’t have a specific explanation to why Ishan was unfit to travel. “The staff said Ishan cannot travel unless we provide another letter from his current doctor from Delhi on the hospital letterhead,” said Ramees.
“Even though it was a Sunday, our doctor in Delhi prepared a letter and send it to us via e-mail. But by the time flight had departed and so we requested them to reschedule our tickets for the next flight. They said we need to pay the cancellation charges for the first flight and book new tickets for the next flight. As we didn’t want Ishan to suffer any longer at the airport, we agreed, “ he said.But before they could do that, the staff discovered there was no seal on the doctor’s letter submitted. “We explained it was not possible for the doctor to obtain a stamp from the office as it was a Sunday. However, they were adamant and said the tickets would be cancelled,” said Ramees.
The family then approached Indigo airlines which after consulting with their doctor, issued tickets for the next flight to Kochi. “Again, the journey by road to Kozhikode made Ishan tired. He vomited and his food tube came out which led to further complications,” he said. Subair said, “The airlines behaved unprofessionally and in an inhuman manner.
We have filed a complaint with Directorate General of Civil Aviation as well as the Airport Authority of India and Prime Minister’s Office. We’ll also fight it legally.”When contacted, a SpiceJet officer at the Calicut International Airport office said they were yet to receive an official communication from Delhi office with regard to the incident. “For flying with medical conditions, passengers are required to provide a set of supporting medical documents to prove they are fit to fly. Maybe the documents provided by them were not enough to prove the same,” he said.