IndiGo Refuses to Let Teen With Disability Board Flight; Sparks Outrage

IndiGo Airlines refused to allow the disabled teen board the plane, stating he was in a panic. India’s aviation minister has announced that he is looking into a domestic carrier that allegedly refused to allow a disabled youngster to board a flight. The airline informed the teen’s parents that he posed a threat to other travellers. The incident prompted significant uproar, with many people accusing the airline of being prejudiced. IndiGo has disputed the charges, claiming that it takes pride in being an inclusive company. Aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday promised “appropriate action”, saying he was personally investigating the incident. “There is zero tolerance towards such behaviour. No human being should have to go through this,” he wrote on Twitter. The event occurred on Saturday at the Ranchi airport and was made public after one of the passengers, Manisha Gupta, posted about it on Facebook. Ms Gupta said that ahead of the flight, the teenager looked visibly distressed: “By the time he had gone through security check and reached the gate (almost an hour ahead of boarding), he seemed to be in the throes of hunger, thirst, anxiety and confusion.” She went on to say that his parents had handled his meltdown well, “with patience, some cajoling, some sternness, many hugs, and so on,” and that other passengers had stopped by to assist the couple. But when the IndiGo staff saw him, she says they warned the parents that they would not let them board, “if the child did not quieten down and become normal”. “Then we witnessed the full display of brute authority and power. The Indigo staff announced that the child would not be allowed to take the flight. That he was a risk to other passengers. That he would have to become ‘normal’, before he could be travel-worthy,” she wrote.