In a tragic incident, an 80-year-old Air India passenger passed away, allegedly due to a shortage of available wheelchairs. This incident occurred as the passenger and his wife arrived in Mumbai from New York. Both individuals had requested wheelchair assistance upon their arrival.


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The deceased was identified as an individual of Indian descent holding a US passport. He and his wife had purchased economy class tickets for Air India flight AI-116 departing from New York on February 11, 2024.


What Air India Says? 


The airline stated that the passenger's wife had been provided with a wheelchair, and staff had instructed the passenger to wait while they arranged for another one. However, he opted to walk alongside his wife to the terminal instead.


Air India said,  ‘One of our guests flying from New York to Mumbai on 12th February fell ill while proceeding to clear immigration with his wife, who was in a wheelchair. Due to heavy demand for wheelchairs, we had requested the passenger to wait till he was also provided with wheelchair assistance but he opted to walk along with his spouse.’’


Further explaining the situation, a spokesperson of Air India said, "As advised by the airport doctor attending to him after taking ill, the passenger was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was declared to have passed away."