The DGCA in a statement said a probe into the 7 May incident found that the ‘handling of the child by the IndiGo ground staff was deficient and ended up exacerbating the situation’
Specially-abled boy barred from boarding IndiGo Ranchi-Hyderabad flight on 7 May, 2022- Facebook – Manish Gupta
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Saturday slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh on IndiGo airlines for not allowing a boy with special needs to board a flight from Ranchi Airport.
The DGCA in a statement said a probe into the incident found that the “handling of the child by the IndiGo ground staff was deficient and ended up exacerbating the situation.”
It added that “a more compassionate handling would have calmed the child.”
Special situations deserve extraordinary responses but the airline’s staff failed to rise up to the occasion, and in the process, committed lapses in adherence to the letter and spirit of the Civil Aviation Requirements (regulations), the DGCA noted.
The civil aviation regulator also said that it would revisit its own regulations in light of the incident.
The incident
On 7 May, a specially-abled boy was not allowed to board the flight by IndiGo staff at the Ranchi Airport. The incident sparked massive outrage on social media after one of the passengers present at the airport shared a post on Facebook narrating the ordeal.
IndiGo had on 9 May said the boy was denied permission to board the Ranchi-Hyderabad flight as he was visibly in panic. As the boy was prohibited from boarding, his parents who were accompanying him also decided not to enter the plane.
With inputs from agencies
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