No Boarding Denial to Flyers With Disability Sans Medico Opinion: DGCA Draft

In May, Indigo denied a child with disabilities from boarding a flight citing that he might be an air safety threat.

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(Photo: The Quint)

Following an incident at Ranchi Airport on 7 May, where IndiGo restricted a passenger with disabilities from boarding, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, India's aviation safety regulator, has submitted a draft to amend its rules by which airlines will not be allowed to deny boarding to passengers with disabilities unless they seek a medico's opinion on their fitness to fly.

Last month, IndiGo denied a child with disabilities from boarding a Hydrabad-bound flight at Ranchi Airport stating that the child is a potential threat to air safety.

A subsequent DGCA investigation into the incident penalised the airline for "insensitive handling" of the situation and fined the airline Rs 5 lakh.

The draft rules submitted by the DGCA, on Friday, 3 June, said that if an airline believes that the health condition of a passenger with disabilities is likely to deteriorate during the flight, it should consult a doctor at the airport and must take an "appropriate call" on whether the passenger should be restricted or not.

The regulator, on 28 May, said that in order to avoid such situations in the future, it would revisit its own regulations, making it mandatory for airlines to take the airport doctor's written opinion on the health of a passenger before making a decision to deny boarding.

The DGCA has asked the public to send in their comments about the draft rules by July 2, after which it will issue the final rules.

The draft rules issued by the DGCA on Friday stated: "Airline shall not refuse carriage of any person on the basis of disability."

IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta had on 9 May expressed regret over the Ranchi incident and offered to buy an electric wheelchair for the specially abled child. Dutta had said the airline staff took the best possible decision under difficult circumstances.

Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on 9 May said on Twitter that no human being should have to go through this and he himself was investigating the Ranchi incident.

(With inputs from PTI)