New Delhi: In the fallout of the Ranchi Airport incident, where low-cost airline IndiGo denied boarding to a specially-abled passenger, India’s aviation regulator DGCA on Friday proposed changes to the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) so that carriers cannot refuse to fly specially-abled people without seeking medical opinion.
According to the draft rules, airlines will now have to seek medical advice on the specially-abled flyer’s fitness. The move comes a few days after the DGCA imposed a Rs 5 lakh fine on airline IndiGo over the incident of a child with special needs being mistreated by the airline staff in Ranchi. IndiGo had disallowed a divyang child to board a Ranchi-Hyderabad flight on May 7, 2022.
"Airline shall not refuse carriage of any person on the basis of disability. However, in case, an airline perceives that the health of such a passenger may deteriorate in-flight, the said passenger 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. After obtaining the medical opinion, the airline shall take the appropriate call,” the DGCA has sought to add this clause to the rule.
The regulatory body has invited public comments about the draft rules by July 2, after which it will issue the final rules.
04/06/22 ET Now
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