At Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, an 80-year-old man, who had arrived on an Air India flight from New York with his wife, died after collapsing on Monday.
The octogenarian collapsed after he had to walk around 1.5 km from the plane to the immigration counter due to the unavailability of wheelchairs.
The couple had already pre-booked wheelchairs, yet only the wife received one.
The man was walking next to his wife, and as they reached the immigration counter, he fell due to a heart attack.
Spokesperson Air India said, “One of our guests flying from New York to Mumbai on February 12 fell ill while proceeding to clear immigration with his wife, who was in a wheelchair. Due to the heavy demand for wheelchairs, we had requested that the passenger wait until he was also provided with wheelchair assistance, but he opted to walk along with his spouse. As advised by the airport doctor attending to him after taking ill, the passenger was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was declared to have passed away.”
The 80-year-old deceased was identified as an Indian-origin US passport holder. He was traveling from New York to Mumbai in economy class on Air India flight AI-116.
As per the report, there were 32 wheelchair passengers on this flight, but only 15 wheelchairs, with accompanying staff waiting on the ground to help them.
The spokesperson further added that Air India was in constant touch with family members to extend any required assistance.
An unidentified ground staffer said that often elderly couples prefer to stay together when moving from the aircraft to the terminal, particularly if they have mobility issues or hearing problems.
Reportedly, the flight was supposed to land at 11:30 am, but it was delayed and landed at 2:10 pm in Mumbai.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Komal Bhoi/MSM)