Recently, a specially-abled child was denied boarding an IndiGo flight at the Ranchi Airport. A video of the incident, taken by another passenger Manish Gupta, went viral on social media and it drew waves of criticism from the netizens. The staff said that the child was not travel-worthy and this angered other passengers and people on the internet. After many arguments, the staff did not allow the kid to board the flight. The Hyderabad bound flight departed without the family. Later, the airline issued a statement that it offered a hotel stay to the family and helped them fly to their destination the next morning.
Also Read: Can’t Violate Rules: IndiGo CEO On Differently-Abled Child Denied To Board Flight
There Is Zero Tolerance Towards Such Behaviour: Jyotiraditya Scindia
Commenting on the incident, aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that there is zero-tolerance for such conduct and added that no human being should have faced such behaviour. He also ordered an investigation into the incident. IndiGo was also asked to submit a report of the incident to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA). The incident also drew the attention of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
There is zero tolerance towards such behaviour. No human being should have to go through this! Investigating the matter by myself, post which appropriate action will be taken. https://t.co/GJkeQcQ9iW
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) May 9, 2022
The Child Was Visibly In Panic: IndiGo CEO
After reviewing the incident, IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta concluded that the staff took ‘the best possible decision under difficult circumstances’. Dutta notified that the child was in panic visibly. He stated that the staff was forced to make a difficult decision adhering to the safety guidelines. Expressing regret towards the family, he added that the airline would like to offer to purchase an electric wheelchair for the child.