Tragic Incident at Mumbai Airport: 80 year’s old death highlights lack of Wheelchair Assistance

An unfortunate incident unfolded at Mumbai Airport, where an 80-year-old passenger, arriving from New York on an Air India flight, lost his life due to the unavailability of wheelchair assistance. Reports reveal that the elderly individual had pre-booked tickets, including a wheelchair for himself and his wife, given his special needs as a wheelchair passenger.

Due to a shortage of wheelchair facilities at the airport, the elderly passenger was provided with only one wheelchair assistant. In light of this, he chose to let his wife use the wheelchair while deciding to walk himself. Tragically, he collapsed suddenly at the immigration counter on Monday, leading to his demise.

????Tragic Incident at Mumbai Airport: Husband Walks 1.5 Km Due to Wheelchair Shortage, Collapses and Dies near the Immigration Area pic.twitter.com/7tyY5120ja

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The elderly passenger, of Indian origin, possessed a pre-booking for wheelchair services. The incident occurred after he walked approximately 1.5 kilometers, reaching the immigration area, where he collapsed due to a cardiac episode. Airport medical facilities responded promptly, transporting him to Nanavati Hospital.

Reports indicate that the pre-booking for wheelchair services was made for the flight departing from New York. Although there were 32 wheelchair passengers on the plane, only 15 wheelchair facilities were available upon reaching Mumbai. An Air India spokesperson explained that due to the high demand for wheelchairs, they had requested passengers to wait briefly for the arrangements to be made. However, the elderly passenger opted to walk with his wife instead.

Air India expressed deep regret, considering the incident highly unfortunate, and assured assistance to the affected family. An airport staff member mentioned witnessing similar instances where elderly couples preferred staying together during the journey from the plane to the airport terminal, especially if mobility was challenging for one of them.