In breach of Indian and European regulations, India's state owned flag carrier Air India puts passengers with disabilities through needless misery.
The sighting of scores of disabled passengers left waiting for
assistance after disembarking Air India flights has become part of the
daily routine at major airports served by India's flag carrier. The
reason why vulnerable passengers are left waiting without assistance for
up to one hour is that the airline does not send assistance requests to
airports.
However, Air India requires passengers with disabilities to notify
the airline of their special needs at the time of booking. "In order to
facilitate passengers requiring wheelchair assistance at the airport,
Air India ensures that: Wheelchair requests are adequately recorded and
confirmed in the SSR (special service request) element for each segment
of the Air-India and interline journey," the airline's website says.
The airline fails to ensure the information is sent to the airport of
destination. "Do you know how many assistance requests for passengers
with disabilities we receive from Air India? Zero!" the passengers’
services manager at one of Europe's largest airports recently told
Reduced Mobility Rights.
We ran an investigation on the matter with other EU airports served
by Air India, receiving the same feedback. In one case, the airport
managed to put enough pressure on Air India to obtain the airline send
disabilities related assistance requests. However,this remains an isolated case of part compliance. On the other hand,
this example shows that the airline can send the information vital to
provide timely assistance to passengers with disabilities.
Not sending information pertaining to assistance requests of
passengers with disabilities is a breach to India's Civil Aviation
Requirement, Part 3, the law governing the carriage by air of persons
with disability and persons with reduced mobility. The law says "The
airline checking in the incapacitated passenger and persons with
disabilities or reduced mobility shall be responsible for advising its
ground staff at transit stations and the airport of disembarkation about
the presence of incapacitated passengers and the location of
wheelchairs and assistive devices on board and about the need to arrange
for special assistance." Similar covenant governs European regulation
1107/2006.
On 21 March, Reduced Mobility Rights contacted Air India asking them to comment on the fact that airports often criticize airlines for not being able to provide them with pre
notification of passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility
service requests and how does Air India tackle the issue and interacts
with airports to minimize this problem.
At the beginning of April, Air India's spokesperson Paula Chattaraj
said that the airline's press office did not know how to address the
question. She said she would contact their airport agents to learn more.
To date, Air India has been unable to comment.
Making sure that Air India's most vulnerable passengers are well
looked after is not a priority for the state owned airline. To date,
passengers with disabilities traveling on Air India, who duly informed
the airline of their needs, face humiliating and discriminatory
treatment upon disembarking their flight because the airline does not
comply with Indian and European law, and fails to transfer vital
information that would allow its most vulnerable passengers to be
assisted with dignity.
About the author
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Reduced Mobility Rights, Roberto
Castiglioni is an expert consultant of PRM regulations and disabled
passengers support procedures, and has personal experience as travelling
partner and carer of a passenger with reduced mobility.
Roberto is a member of the UK Civil Aviation Authority Access To
Air Travel Working Group. He is also a member of the Easyjet Special
Assistance Advisory Group. Chaired by David Blunkett MP, the independent
advisory group esaag provides Easyjet with strategic guidance and
practical advice on the evolving needs of passengers requiring special
assistance.
Source : Reduce Mobility Rights ( 24th April 2013 )
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