Passengers Lashed Out At IndiGo Staff For Not Allowing A Child With Disability

The child posed a threat to other passengers' safety, says the airline.

New Delhi: IndiGo faced fierce response from the passengers for not allowing a child with disability to board a flight with his family at the Ranchi airport on Saturday. 

According to the statement by the airline today, the child posed a threat to other passengers' safety. It further stressed that it takes pride in being "inclusive", playing down suggestions of discriminatory behavior.

"In-view of the safety of passengers, a specially-abled child could not board the flight with his family on May 7, as he was in a state of panic. The ground staff waited for him to calm down till the last minute, but to no avail," added the airline in its statement. 

Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has sought a report from IndiGo in the matter.

Manisha Gupta, a fellow passenger and a witness to the scene, wrote about the incident in an elaborate Facebook post.

As per the IndiGo manager, Ms. Gupta, kept shouting and telling everyone that the "child is uncontrollable".

"The only person who is in panic is you," Ms. Gupta quoted a fellow passenger's retort to the airline manager.

Moreover, the family, said the airline, was provided a hotel stay and they flew the next morning to their destination.

A group of doctors, travelling on the same flight, offered to provide full support to the child and his parents if any health episode were to occur mid-air, said Ms. Gupta in her post.

While adding more, Ms. Gupta noted how other passengers rallied around the family.

They held up their mobile phones, said Ms. Gupta, with news articles, Twitter posts on Supreme Court judgment on how no airline could discriminate against passengers with disabilities.

"In those 45 minutes of argument, temper, rage and contestation, the three (the family) had not once lost their dignity or raised their voice or spoken one irrational word," said Ms. Gupta.

"We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers. IndiGo prides itself on being an inclusive organization, be it for employees or its customers," the airline stressed.