DGCA slaps Rs 30 lakh penalty on Air India after 80-year-old died due to lack of wheelchair

New Delhi: Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Thursday imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India for the incident where an 80-year-old passenger collapsed and later died after walking from plane to terminal at the Mumbai airport after not getting a wheelchair.

The incident happened on February 12. A senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday said a penalty of Rs 30 lakh has been imposed on Air India as it failed to provide any wheelchair to the elderly passenger.

"Further, Air India did not inform about any action taken by the airline against the erring employee(s) and the airline also failed to submit any corrective actions taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future," the official said.

Earlier this month, DGCA issued a show cause notice to the carrier, which submitted its response to the watchdog on February 20.

The airline submitted that the elderly passenger wished to walk along with his wife who was on a wheelchair too, rather than wait for another wheelchair.

"An advisory has also been issued to all airlines to ensure that an adequate number of wheelchairs are available for passengers who require assistance during embarking or disembarking from the aircraft during their journey," the official said.