Wheelchair Bound Passenger Says Flight Crew Prohibited Him From Boarding Plane

A disabled passenger alleged that Air India would not allow him to board his flight Sunday due to his battery-operated wheelchair. The airline's ground staff refused to let him board unless he removed the wiring from his wheelchair, he claimed.

Kaushik Majumdar, a researcher at the Indian Statistical Institute, claimed Air India staffers gave him trouble over his electric wheelchair. Majumdar attempted to board a flight Sunday to Bengaluru to Kolkata when the airline's staff requested that he shifted to a non-electrical wheelchair, he said. He also said he complied with the request.

He said he was still denied entry to his flight despite switching to a standard wheelchair, even after disconnecting the batteries from his wheelchair.

"The staff said that all the wires connected to the battery had to be removed," Majumdar told Times Now. "Now that was completely impossible for me because there are many wires and removing them and putting them back is an expert's job."

Majumdar alleged that he had experienced a similar incident with Air India in July, but it hadn't escalated as Sunday's situation did. In the July scenario, he was still permitted to board.

Air India denied Majumdar's allegations and cited safety issues as its reason for refusing to board the wheelchair-bound man.

"While checking in he had agreed to the terms, but before entering the flight refused to shift to the non-electrical wheelchair," an airline spokesperson said in a statement issued to The Hindu. "Battery-operated wheelchairs are not allowed in the flight. It is a safety regulation and we cannot violate it at any cost."

Air India's website said it allows disabled passengers to board with an electrically operated wheelchair, but "a medical certificate stating the need to carry and operate your own wheelchair has to be produced." While the website doesn't indicate whether the wheelchair-bound passenger would be required to remove the wiring from their chair, Air India has strict regulations about how such equipment could affect the safety of other passengers.

"Passengers are requested to pre-book wheelchairs at the time of flight booking/ticket issuance to avoid last minute delays/non-availability of wheelchairs. In keeping with the requirement of air safety, the carriage of wheelchair passengers is restricted on our flights," Air India's website read. "The objective of this restriction is primarily, the safety of all passengers in the unlikely event of an emergency evacuation."