Air India Denies Wheelchair to 82-Year-Old Woman, She Falls and Ends Up in Hospital

An 82-year-old woman is in the ICU, being monitored for possible brain hemorrhages after falling at the Delhi airport, reportedly after being denied a pre-booked wheelchair by Air India. After waiting an hour for the wheelchair, the woman – the widow of a distinguished Lieutenant General – had to walk a long way at the airport assisted by a family member and collapsed near an airline counter when her legs gave out.

The granddaughter of the woman claimed that she received no first aid and, after a wheelchair eventually arrived, boarded the plane with a bleeding lip along with injuries to her head and nose. The granddaughter mentioned that her grandmother has been in the ICU for a couple of days and the left side of her body is weakening.

In reply to the granddaughter’s post, Air India expressed that it was “worried to see” the incident and wished the woman a quick recovery. The airline highlighted that it is “currently addressing the issue” and will provide information as soon as possible.

In a post on X, last modified at 2 am on Friday, the granddaughter, Parul Kanwar, mentioned that they had reserved an Air India flight (AI2600) from Delhi to Bengaluru for Tuesday. Among the passengers was her grandmother, Raj Pasricha, who is 82 years old, as indicated by a ticket that Ms. Kanwar shared. The ticket indicates a specific request for a “wheelchair to aircraft door” and confirms that it is approved.

“I post this because I have no choice, and because it infuriates me that there is such little value for human life and wellbeing,” a clearly exasperated Ms Kanwar wrote. 

Ms Kanwar recalled that when they reached Terminal 3 (T3) of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Ms Pasricha was not allotted a wheelchair. The family, she said, tried for an hour and requested Air India’s staff, the airport help desk as well as staff members from another airline, but no wheelchair could be arranged. 

“With no other option, this old lady slowly made her way across 3 parking lanes at T3 New Delhi, on foot 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. We requested someone to help get first aid – no help,” Ms Kanwar wrote. 

“Expectation from Air India staff was for the family member to go to the MI (medical inspection) room and get medical aid. Finally, the wheelchair arrived, and she was promptly boarded without a proper checkup with a bleeding lip and injury to her head and nose. On flight crew did help with ice packs and called ahead to Bangalore airport for medical aid, where she was seen by a doctor and given 2 stitches (sic),” she added.