Civil aviation regulator DGCA has fined private carrier IndiGo Rs 500,000 for “deficient” handling of a special child who wasn’t allowed by the airline’s ground staff at Ranchi airport to board a Hyderabad-bound flight with his parents on May 7 this year, following which the family couldn’t make the trip and later filed a complaint.
DGCA said IndiGo’s officials could have been “more compassionate. Airlines should revisit their standard operating procedures and training processes while dealing with such cases in order to bring a more humane touch,” DGCA chief Arun Kumar said. “…the handling of the special child by IndiGo ground staff was deficient and ended up exacerbating the situation. A more compassionate handling would have…obviated the need for the extreme step…”
The regulator is in the process of revamping rules for evaluating whether a person with disabilities should be denied boarding, which is currently done by airline ground staff within a framework to assess flight risks.
A draft of revised rules will be brought out soon. This may make it mandatory for airlines to consult airport doctor/s and flight captains in special cases like that of the child in Ranchi. Public opinion will be solicited and incorporated in the final guidelines.
IndiGo’s “inappropriate” handling of the special child’s case had triggered public outrage. Some doctors travelling on the Ranchi-Hyderabad flight had requested the airline to let the child and his parents board the plane, assuring that they would help in case the boy needed any help during the flight. But “in line with safety guidelines” - as the airline later stated - the child was not allowed to board.
A government-appointed probe panel faulted the airline in its report on May 16. Investigators were unhappy with IndiGo’s “insensitive” initial response. Earlier this month, the airline stated that it stands by its decision and offered an electric wheelchair to the child. The regulator issued a show-cause notice to the airline, giving 10 days to respond.
