NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Tata Group airline Air India for denying wheelchair to an 80-year-old passenger, and he collapsed and later died after walking from plane to terminal at the Mumbai airport.
The incident took place on February 12. A senior official at DGCA on Thursday said a Rs 30 lakh penalty has been imposed on Air India as it failed to provide wheelchair to the elderly.
“Air India didn’t inform about any action taken by the airline against the erring employee(s) and the airline also failed to submit corrective actions taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future,” the official said. Earlier this month, DGCA issued a show cause notice to the carrier.The airline submitted its response on February 20 that the elderly passenger wished to walk alongside his wife who was on a wheelchair too, rather than wait for another wheelchair.
“An advisory has been issued to all airlines to ensure that an adequate number of wheelchairs are available for passengers who require assistance during embarking,” the DGCA official said.