NEW DELHI, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- India's civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Friday issued an advisory to the country's all private airlines to arrange an adequate number of wheelchairs at the airports for passengers in need.
The advisory came after an octogenarian man died while walking at the Mumbai airport after alighting from an Air India flight from New York on Monday.
According to news reports, the old man collapsed and was rushed for medical aid but died on the way. While the deceased person's wife was given a wheelchair, he was denied one by the airport staff citing shortage of wheelchairs.
Air India later issued a statement saying that due to heavy demand for wheelchairs, it had requested the passenger to wait for an airline staff-assisted wheelchair but he opted to walk along with his spouse. ■
