IndiGo CEO 'regrets' airline's decision to not carry specially abled teen, offers to buy electric wheelchair
India Today
IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta has expressed regret over the incident wherein an employee of the airline did not allow a specially abled teen to board a flight for not displaying “normal” behaviour. He also offered to buy an electric wheelchair for the teenager.
CEO of IndiGo Ronojoy Dutta has expressed regret over the incident wherein a specially abled teen was not allowed to board a flight for not displaying “normal” behaviour. He also offered to buy an electric wheelchair for the teenager.
An IndiGo airlines representative at Ranchi airport did not permit a special needs child and his parents to board a flight for not displaying “normal” behaviour. When the family and other passengers objected, the representative got into a verbal altercation with them.
The IndiGo employee allegedly announced that the specially-abled child is a flight risk and compared the condition (teenage assertiveness) to that of drunken passengers and deemed the child unfit for travel.
Reacting to the incident, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that appropriate action would be taken against the airline.Scindia said there was zero tolerance for such discriminatory behaviour by airline staff, adding that he was looking into the matter personally.
"We recognize too well that parents who dedicate their lives to the caring of physically challenged persons are the true heroes of our society. We offer our sincere regrets to the affected family for the unfortunate experience and as a small token of our appreciation of their lifelong dedication would like to offer to purchase an electric wheelchair for their son," IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta said.
Speaking about the incident, however, he said, the airline had "made the best possible decision under difficult circumstances". "While providing courteous and compassionate service to our customers is of paramount importance to us, the airport staff, in line with the safety guidelines, were forced to make a difficult decision as to whether this commotion would carry forward aboard the aircraft. Having reviewed all aspects of this incident, we as an organization are of the view that we made the best possible decision under difficult circumstances," a statement from Dutta read.
"Throughout the check-in and boarding process, our intent, of course, was to carry the family. However, at the boarding area the teenager was visibly in panic," the statement read.
