IndiGo airlines received backlash from passengers after refusing to let a disabled child board a flight with his family at Ranchi airport on Saturday. The airline said in a statement today that the child posed a threat to the safety of other passengers. It went on to say that it takes pride in being “inclusive,” dismissing suggestions of discrimination.
“A specially-abled child who was in a panic could not board the flight with his family on May 7 due to passenger safety concerns. The ground crew waited until the very last minute for him to calm down, but to no avail “In a statement, the airline said.
IndiGo has been asked to submit a report to the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
A fellow passenger and witness to the incident, Manisha Gupta, detailed the incident in a Facebook post.
According to Ms Gupta, the IndiGo manager kept yelling and telling everyone that the “child is uncontrollable.”
Ms Gupta quoted a fellow passenger’s retort to the airline manager, “The only person in panic is you.”
According to the family, the airline provided them with a hotel stay and they flew to their destination the next morning.
According to Ms Gupta, a group of doctors on the same flight offered full support to the child and his parents if any health issues arose while in flight.
Other passengers rallied around the family, according to Ms Gupta.
They held up news articles and Twitter posts about Supreme Court rulings that said no airline could discriminate against passengers with disabilities, according to Ms Gupta.
“The three (the family) had not once lost their dignity, raised their voice, or spoken one irrational word in those 45 minutes of argument, temper, rage, and contestation,” Ms Gupta said.
“We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused the passengers. IndiGo takes pride in being an inclusive company, whether it’s for its employees or customers “The airline was agitated.
