Airlines can't refuse flyer with special needs: Regulator proposes amends
India Today
The DCGA has proposed amendments to the civil aviation rules so that airlines cannot refuse flyers with special needs.
Following the incident on May 28 when IndiGo airlines was fined for denying boarding to a child with special needs, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday proposed to change the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) so that airlines cannot refuse carriage of any person on the basis of disability.
According to the proposed amendment, if an airline perceives that the health of such a passenger may deteriorate during the flight, they will have to be examined by a doctor who shall categorically state the medical condition and whether the passenger is fit to fly or not. The airline should then take the appropriate call after obtaining the medical opinion of the doctor.
The DGCA has invited comments on the amendments by July 2.
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The DGCA on May 28 imposed a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on IndiGo for failing to adequately handle the case of a special child at Ranchi airport.
DGCA in a statement said, “Special situations deserve extraordinary responses but the Airline staff failed to rise up to the occasion and in the process committed lapses in adherence to the letter and spirit of the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR).”
The incident came to light after an eye-witness account of an IndiGo manager allegedly mistreating a specially-abled child at the Ranchi airport went viral on social media.
