NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will conduct a fact-finding enquiry regarding the incident where a differently-abled teenager was denied boarding an IndiGo aircraft at Ranchi airport on Sunday.
"In the case involving denial of boarding to a child at Ranchi airport, we have received a report from the airline. However, in view of the facts and circumstances described therein, we have decided to conduct a fact-finding enquiry which shall be done by a three-member team from DGCA,’’ DGCA chief, Arun Kumar, told TNIE.
The three-member team will visit Ranchi and Hyderabad (the place of stay of the concerned family) and collect evidence within one week from Monday.
"Based on the outcome of the said enquiry, further action shall entail," he said.
Meanwhile, IndiGo has termed the incident as 'unfortunate.' This happened yesterday when a specially-abled teenager and his parents weren’t permitted to board an IndiGo flight from Ranchi to Hyderabad.
"All of us at IndiGo are truly distressed by this particular incident. Since April 2022 we have carried over75k specially-abled passengers aboard our airline and our crew and airport staff are trained to serve such passengers sensitively. Throughout the check-in and boarding process our intent, of course, was to carry the family, however, at the boarding area the teenager was visibly in panic,’’ said a statement issued by IndiGo on behalf of its Whole Time Director and CEO Ronojoy Dutta.
Meanwhile, IndiGo’s statement said that providing courteous and compassionate service to customers has been of paramount importance.
"The airport staff, in line with the safety guidelines, were forced to make a difficult decision as to whether this commotion would carry forward aboard the aircraft. Having reviewed all aspects of this incident, was an organization are of the view that we made the best possible decision under difficult circumstances,’’ according to IndiGo.
IndiGo while offering regret on the incident offered to purchase an electric wheelchair for the teenager as a token of appreciation to his parents for taking care of him with utmost dedication.