An 82 years old woman, the widow of a Lieutenant General, suffered a brain stroke after a fall at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, reportedly due to being denied a pre-booked wheelchair by Air India. She is currently in the ICU, with her family alleging that the airline failed to provide necessary assistance, leading to the unfortunate incident.
The elderly passenger was scheduled to board a flight to Bengaluru on March 4 when a family member approached the airline’s assistance desk, waiting nearly for an hour for a wheelchair. With no help forthcoming, she and her grandson proceeded towards the airport entry gate on foot. As they reached an airline counter, she collapsed, sustaining injuries to her head, nose and mouth.
Her granddaughter Parul Kanwar took to social media to express her distress, recounting how the woman was not given immediate medical aid. She described the struggle of having to navigate through multiple parking lanes before finally entering the terminal without assistance. According to her, despite her grandmother collapsing near the airline’s premium economy counter, no staff members stepped forward to help. She further alleged that even when the first aid was requested, the responsibility was placed on the family to seek medical assistance from the airport’s medical inspection room.
Here is Parul’s post:
https://x.com/parulkanwar/status/1897747832183947329
Eventually, a wheelchair arrived and the woman was boarded onto the flight without a proper medical checkup despite visible injuries. The in-flight crew provided ice packs and coordinated with medical staff at Bengaluru airport, where she received two stitches for her injuries. The next day, after being admitted to the Indian Air Force Command Hospital in Bengaluru, scans revealed that she had suffered a brain stroke.
In response, Air India issued a statement expressing concern and wishing the woman a speedy recovery. The airline explained that the wheelchair could not be provided as the family had reported at the assistance desk less than 90 minutes before departure and that there was high demand for wheelchairs at that time.
Parul Kanwar’s post drew significant attention online, prompting the airline to reach out for further discussion. However, she declined a call without proper investigation. Air India reassured her that they were actively addressing the situation and would provide detailed information soon.
The incident has sparked widespread discussion about the treatment of elderly passengers and the efficiency of assistance services at airports, raising questions about accountability in such situations.
