Air India’s new management can’t run Air India, says govt advisor

NEW DELHI March 8: Air India has come under fire from Kanchan Gupta, Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Broadcasting, following an incident in which an elderly passenger was injured after allegedly being denied a wheelchair by the airline.

Raj Pasricha, an 82-year-old widow of a decorated Lieutenant General, collapsed and suffered injuries after being forced to walk without assistance, despite her physical limitations.

Gupta took to social media to express his concerns about the management of Air India under the Tata Group, questioning their ability to ensure passenger safety. He cited the incident as part of a pattern of “everyday horror stories” at the airline.

Clearly @AirIndia has no ability to run Air India. Everyday horror stories are the new norm at the airline founded by JRD Tata and repurchased from GoI by @TataCompanies
The grim story of a 82-year-old widow of a decorated General is Air India’s boastful claim on #WomensDay pic.twitter.com/V7E5lqVyuQ

— Kanchan Gupta 🇮🇳 (@KanchanGupta) March 8, 2025

On social media platform X, Gupta questioned whether the airline, originally founded by JRD Tata, was capable of operating efficiently under its new management.

“Everyday Horror Stories” at Air India”Clearly @AirIndia has no ability to run Air India. Everyday horror stories are the new norm at the airline founded by JRD Tata and repurchased from GoI by @TataCompanies. The grim story of an 82-year-old widow of a decorated General is Air India’s boastful claim on #WomensDay,” he wrote.

The woman’s granddaughter alleged that she was not provided first aid and, after a wheelchair finally arrived, boarded on the aircraft with a bleeding lip and injuries to her head and nose. The granddaughter said her grandmother has been in the ICU for two days and the left side of her body is losing strength.

In response, Air India denied the allegations, stating that they are committed to providing a safe and comfortable travel experience for all passengers.

The statement comes a day after the woman’s granddaughter Parul Kanwar took to social media and said the airline must be “ashamed” for treating her “poorly”. The elderly woman, whose name as per her ticket is Raj Pasricha, is now in the ICU, under observation for potential brain bleeds.

In a post on X, which was last edited at 2 am on Friday, the granddaughter, Parul Kanwar, wrote that they had booked an Air India flight (AI2600) from Delhi to Bengaluru for Tuesday. Among the travellers was her 82-year-old grandmother, whose name, according to a ticket shared by Ms Kanwar, is Raj Pasricha. The ticket also mentions a special request for a “wheelchair to aircraft door” and states that it is confirmed.

“I post this because I have no choice, and because it infuriates me that there is such little value for human life and wellbeing,” a clearly exasperated Ms Kanwar wrote.

Ms Kanwar recalled that when they reached Terminal 3 (T3) of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Ms Pasricha was not allotted a wheelchair. The family, she said, tried for an hour and requested Air India’s staff, the airport help desk as well as staff members from another airline, but no wheelchair could be arranged.

“With no other option, this old lady slowly made her way across 3 parking lanes at T3 New Delhi, on foot with assistance from a family member. She managed to enter the airport on foot, still no wheelchair or assistance was provided. Ultimately, her legs gave way, and she fell – she fell in front of the Air India premium economy counter. Not one person stepped in to help. We requested someone to help get first aid – no help,” Ms Kanwar wrote.

“Expectation from Air India staff was for the family member to go to the MI (medical inspection) room and get medical aid. Finally, the wheelchair arrived, and she was promptly boarded without a proper checkup with a bleeding lip and injury to her head and nose. On flight crew did help with ice packs and called ahead to Bangalore airport for medical aid, where she was seen by a doctor and given 2 stitches (sic),” she added.

Ms Kanwar said she was typing the post from an ICU, where her grandmother has been under observation for two days for potential brain bleeds.

“My mother and father watch as doctors pump her with medication, and her left side loses strength. From where we stand, it’s a long road ahead of pain and recovery which she did not deserve,” she wrote.

The family, Ms Kanwar added, has lodged complaints with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Air India and is awaiting action.

Following an initial response yesterday, the airline shared a detailed statement today after conducting a probe into what had happened.

Air India said the claim that the woman waited for an hour was “baseless” and that a wheelchair was not denied.

“While we fully empathise with the lady and wish her a swift recovery, we would like to state the following based on our investigation: The said passenger, travelling with her family members, had arrived at the departure terminal much later than the recommended 2 hours before departure. Family members/relatives accompanying the passenger had reported at the PRM (Person with Reduced Mobility) desk located near Air India’s ticketing office less than 90 minutes before the scheduled time of departure to request for a wheelchair,” the airline said.

“Due to the unprecedented peak demand at that hour, a wheelchair could not be made available within the 15 minutes that the passenger’s relatives spent waiting for it. The claims of the passenger having waited for an hour for the wheelchair are baseless. On their own accord, the passenger decided to walk along with those accompanying her. She unfortunately suffered a fall in the airport premises. Upon noticing the incident, officials of the Delhi Airport, as well as the airport doctor on duty immediately attended to her and administered first aid,” Air India said in the statement.

The airline said that, according to its findings, the doctor’s offer for additional medical attention was not accepted and the guest’s family members “insisted” on continuing their travel to Bengaluru.

“Through this process, Air India staff were courteous, escorted them from immediate check-in through to priority security check and boarding. The passenger was also provided all possible care during the flight from Delhi to Bengaluru. Upon reaching Bengaluru, as requested by the family members, the guest was escorted by our staff for further medical attention in the Bengaluru Airport premises, and later also escorted until the drop-off point,” Air India said.