• Source:JND
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Air India on Saturday rejected allegations that an 82-year-old woman suffered injuries after the airline allegedly denied a pre-booked wheelchair at Delhi Airport. Air India also flagged the woman's late arrival and an unusually high demand for wheelchair assistance at the time. The statement came a day after the woman's granddaughter Parul Kanwar accused the airline of negligence in a long post on X. The woman, whose name as per her ticket is Raj Pasricha, is now in the ICU, under observation for potential brain bleeds.

In an official statement, Air India claimed that the passenger and her family arrived at the departure terminal later than the recommended two-hour window before the flight. Family members approached the Person with Reduced Mobility (PRM) desk near the airline’s ticketing office less than 90 minutes before the scheduled departure to request a wheelchair, it said.

"At no point was the wheelchair or any assistance denied to the passenger. Air India’s staff cooperated with the guests through their journey. We have reached out to the guest’s family and pray for her wellbeing," the official statement read.

Parul Kanwar had alleged that the woman was not provided first aid and, after a wheelchair finally arrived, boarded on the aircraft with a bleeding lip and injuries to her head and nose. The granddaughter said her grandmother has been in the ICU for two days and the left side of her body is losing strength.

In a post on X, which was last edited at 2 am on Friday, the granddaughter, Parul Kanwar, wrote that they had booked an Air India flight (AI2600) from Delhi to Bengaluru for Tuesday. Among the travellers was her 82-year-old grandmother, whose name, according to a ticket shared by Kanwar, is Raj Pasricha. The ticket also mentions a special request for a "wheelchair to aircraft door" and states that it is confirmed.

"I post this because I have no choice, and because it infuriates me that there is such little value for human life and wellbeing," Kanwar wrote.

Kanwar recalled that when they reached Terminal 3 (T3) of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, 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.

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"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," 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.

Kanwar said she was typing the post from an ICU, where her grandmother has been under observation for two days for potential brain bleeds.

"My mother and father watch as doctors pump her with medication, and her left side loses strength. From where we stand, it's a long road ahead of pain and recovery which she did not deserve," she wrote.

The family, Kanwar added, has lodged complaints with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Air India and is awaiting action.

Responding to Kanwar's post Air India's handle wrote, "Dear Ms. Kanwar, we are concerned to note this and wish Ms. Pasricha a speedy recovery. We'd like to connect with you over a call in this regard and request you share your contact number and a convenient time via DM (direct message).

When Kanwar replied saying she did not want the airline to call her without “due diligence and investigation", the airline wrote, “Dear Ms. Kanwar, we sincerely wish your grandmother a speedy recovery. We are actively working on the concern and assure you that we will share the complete details at the earliest."