An 82-year-old woman was left injured at Delhi Airport after Air India allegedly failed to provide a pre-booked wheelchair, forcing her to walk before collapsing, her granddaughter claimed.
In a post on X, Parul Kanwar called out the airline’s "negligence," detailing how her grandmother, the widow of a decorated Lieutenant General, had a confirmed wheelchair booking for her March 4 flight from Delhi to Bengaluru. Despite repeated requests, no wheelchair was provided by Air India staff, the airport help desk, or even IndiGo personnel, who had a spare but allegedly refused to share it.
"She collapsed in front of Air India’s premium economy counter"
"With no other option, this old lady slowly made her way across three parking lanes at Terminal 3 with assistance from a family member. She managed to enter the airport on foot, still no wheelchair or assistance was provided. Ultimately, her legs gave way, and she fell – she fell in front of the Air India premium economy counter. Not one person stepped in to help," Parul wrote.
Parul further alleged that no Air India staff assisted, and her family had to arrange medical aid themselves. When a wheelchair finally arrived, the airline allegedly boarded her without a proper medical check-up, despite her bleeding lip and injuries to her head and nose. The flight crew provided ice packs and alerted the Bengaluru airport medical team, where she was given two stitches upon arrival.
"Typing this from the ICU"
The situation worsened after the flight, as the elderly woman had to be admitted to the ICU due to concerns over potential brain bleeds.
"Today, I sit here typing this from the ICU. She has been here two days under observation. My mother and father watch as doctors pump her with medication, and her left side loses strength. It’s a long road ahead of pain and recovery she did not deserve," Parul shared.
The family has filed complaints with DGCA and Air India, demanding accountability.
Air India responds amid public outrage
Air India responded to the viral post, saying: "Dear Ms. Kanwar, we are concerned to note this and wish Ms. Pasricha a speedy recovery. We’d like to connect with you over a call in this regard and request you share your contact number and a convenient time via DM."
Airline issues statement
A Air India spokesperson said, “There are allegations on media platforms that an elderly lady suffered grievous injuries at the Delhi airport on account of Air India. While we fully empathise with the lady and wish her a swift recovery, we would like to state the following based on our investigation: The said passenger, travelling with her family members, had arrived at the departure terminal much later than the recommended 2 hours before departure. Family members/relatives accompanying the passenger had reported at the PRM Person with Reduced Mobility) desk located near Air India's ticketing office less than 90 minutes before the scheduled time of departure to request for a wheelchair. Due to the unprecedented peak demand at that hour, a wheelchair could not be made available within the 15 minutes that the passenger’s relatives spent waiting for it. The claims of the passenger having waited for an hour for the wheelchair are baseless. On their own accord, the passenger decided to walk along with those accompanying her. She unfortunately suffered a fall in the airport premises. Upon noticing the incident, officials of the Delhi Airport, as well as the airport doctor on duty immediately attended to her and administered first aid. We understand that the doctor's offer for additional medical attention was not accepted and the guest's family members insisted on continuing their travel to Bengaluru. Through this process, Air India staff were courteous, escorted them from immediate check-in through to priority security check and boarding. The passenger was also provided all possible care during the flight from Delhi to Bengaluru. Upon reaching Bengaluru, as requested by the family members, the guest was escorted by our staff for further medical attention in the Bengaluru Airport premises, and later also escorted until the drop-off point. At no point was the wheelchair or any assistance denied to the passenger. Air India’s staff cooperated with the guests through their journey. We have reached out to the guest’s family and pray for her wellbeing.”