Draft guideline issued to ensure ease during air travel for disabled people

October 27, 2021

The Civil Aviation Ministry on Tuesday issued draft guidelines for aviation sector stakeholders such as airlines and airports to ensure disabled people can travel at ease

NEW DELHI : The Civil Aviation Ministry on Tuesday issued draft guidelines for aviation sector stakeholders such as airlines and airports to ensure disabled people can travel at ease.

Actor and dancer Sudha Chandran had last week, in a video posted on social media, narrated her ordeal of how she was made to remove her prosthetic limb every time during a security check at any airport.

According to the draft guidelines, airport operators must make special arrangements to facilitate screening of persons with special needs so that the process is carried out efficiently "keeping the dignity and privacy of the passenger in mind".

During the screening of prosthetics, the airport security -- which is handled by the CISF at most of the airports -- might use X-ray, explosive trace detection devices or visual checks according to their requirement, it mentioned.

The passenger -- who has a prosthetic limb -- will first pass through the door frame metal detector and should then be taken to a private screening point and made to sit comfortably, it noted.

This passenger will then receive additional screening including a pat-down, the draft guidelines said.

"A prosthetic appliance which does not have any foam padding cover under which any weapon or explosive can be concealed and in which the steel rod of the appliance is clearly visible may be screened by visual inspection and ETD checks only, without removing it."

However, in rare cases, where there is sufficient justification including profiling of the passenger, X-ray screening may be resorted to, it stated, adding the justification for subjecting a prosthetic limb to X-ray screening shall be recorded by the screener in a register

Prosthetic appliances that are covered in foam padding and in which the steel rod is not visible must undergo X-ray screening, it mentioned.

The draft guidelines also said that passengers who have external devices including insulin pumps, hearing aids, cochlear implants, spinal stimulators, bone growth stimulators and ostomies will not have to disconnect them for X-ray screening.

Under most circumstances, a passenger can conduct a self-pat-down of these devices followed by ETD screening of his or her hands, it added.

Disabled passengers should inform the airline about their complete requirement 48 hours before the scheduled departure so that the carrier can make necessary arrangements, it mentioned.

If a passenger wants to check-in their wheelchair at the airport, the airline must ensure that the wheelchair is duly taxed and sent to the baggage make-up area with a service partner to avoid any damage, it noted.

Passengers should check with the airline on the specific requirements of bringing service animals on flights. A low floor coach or a ramp should be used for comfortable boarding or debarring of wheelchair users, the draft guidelines mentioned.

"Airlines should ensure that a disability awareness training is conducted for new hires and ensure periodic refreshers are conducted for all staff to reiterate policies and standard operating procedures on customer assistance with different types of disabilities," it mentioned.

The Civil Aviation Ministry has given three weeks for people to send their comments and suggestions on the draft "Accessibility Standards and Guidelines for Civil Aviation", after which final guidelines will be issued.

business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/draft-guideline-issued-to-ensure-ease-during-air-travel-for-disabled-people-121102601823_1.html

Discriminated for no fault: Airlines, airports in India fail their ‘special’ fliers

For the disabled, journeys on domestic flights are tales of never-ending turbulence. Days after the de-boarding of paraathlete Madhu Bagri from a Hyderabad-bound plane, the demand for standardisation of air travel protocols for the disabled has grown stronger. 

Hyderabad: International paraathlete Suvarna Raj says that she was de-boarded from a plane in a similar manner last month. “I reached a little late than usual and was given my boarding pass. But they denied me entry because my security check would take longer,” she says. She missed her flight and was allocated a seat on a flight which departed the next day. 

Experts say that such an incident would have never occurred had India been following International Protocol and using Explosive Trace Detection Systems (ETDs). These systems allow for security checks to be carried out without disabled persons having to part with their accessibility gear. 

Nipun Malhotra, the founder of the Nipman Foundation, says, “I filed an RTI and found that over 77 airports in the country have ETDs, but they are not being used anywhere. Instead, we are forced to be transferred from our wheelchair or remove our prosthetic limbs in the name of security.”

Persons with disability ask why they have to undergo such humiliation when the necessary technology is available.

Their troubles do not end after the security check. “As per the procedure that is followed internationally, disabled persons are allowed to take their wheelchairs up to the aircraft door, where they are shifted to aisle chairs which can pass through the cabin. However, in India, the wheelchair goes into the baggage compartment and disabled passengers are physically lifted and carried to their seats, which is not only dangerous but also humiliating,” says Ms Suvarna Raj. Some airlines do not have aisle chairs, in which case the availability of seats in the front row becomes crucial, as was in the case of Madhu Bagri.

As per the protocol to be followed in Boeing flights, disabled persons may be seated in the front row. However, in smaller ATR flights, the emergency exit doors are located in the front, requiring mobile persons to be seated adjacent to them.

Accessibility experts say that some airlines do not have any provision for the assistance of disabled persons, as a result of which they are forced to crawl or drag themselves to their seats, which constitutes a violation of their human rights.

“The crux of the problem is that there is no penalty. Every time a disabled person with some privilege faces a problem, it is highlighted. But many unprivileged disabled persons face problems on a daily basis. Why can’t the Directorate General of Civil Aviation penalise airlines, airports instead of merely issuing warnings?” asks Mr Javed Abidi, the director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People. 

Mr Abidi has helped the CISF chalk out a detailed plan of action. He says that the airline services must incorporate a provision for the declaration of disability at the ticketing stage to avoid such hassles.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/290817/airlines-airports-in-india-fail-their-special-fliers.html

Callous airline staff’s attitude reflects our apathy towards India’s disabled population

4/27/2017

On Wednesday, cricketer Harbhajan Singh tweeted about an incident where an expat pilot abused and assaulted two travellers flying to Mumbai, one of them a person with orthopaedic disability. Apart from changing India’s famously inaccessible built environment we need to develop a culture of sensitivity towards the country’s 2.68 crore disabled.

Last year, Paralympics silver medal winner Deepa Malik filed a complaint against poor handling of wheelchair-bound passengers by the staff of Air Vistara.

There’s more to it than just racism. On Wednesday, cricketer Harbhajan Singh tweeted about alleged racism by an expat pilot from Jet Airways. According to Singh, the pilot abused and assaulted two travellers flying to Mumbai, one of them a person with an orthopaedic disability. When the flight landed, he had to wait for 25 minutes for the wheelchair to be brought to the seat. On top of it, the pilot screamed at him for checking-in the wheelchair and delaying the flight. This was done despite the airline allowing them to check it in at Chandigarh from where they had boarded.

This is not the first time a wheelchair-bound traveller has complained of misbehaviour by airline crew. Last year, Paralympics silver winner Deepa Malik filed a complaint against poor handling of wheelchair-bound passengers by the staff of Air Vistara. “The wheelchair handling is so poor that you do not know how to shift a person from seat to cabin chair. The entire staff stands and looks at each other for 10 minutes,” she had said. In 2015, disability rights activist Javed Abidi was forced to get off his wheelchair at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Despite protests, the CISF warned him to comply or miss his flight. Ironically, in 2014, Abidi was part of a panel of activists who had helped frame guidelines to ensure there was no discrimination on the basis of disability in air travel.

According to the 2011 Census, the number of disabled in India stands at 2.68 crore, or 2.21 per cent of the population. India’s built environment is infamously inhospitable to the disabled and the elderly, confining them to their homes. Most public buildings lack ramps and even ATM machines have steps leading up to them. The recently passed Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2016, promises barrier-free access to buildings to the disabled, but implementation is lax. Merely de-rostering the pilot, as Jet Airways did, won’t be enough to change the ground reality on discrimination. We need to inculcate a culture of sensitivity towards the physically challenged.

hindustantimes.com/analysis/callous-airline-staff-s-attitude-reflects-our-apathy-towards-india-s-disabled-population/story-sD28yJSGZs8qHfTi8bHAvL.html

Disabled woman passenger alleges Air India made her 'crawl'

Jan 31, 2016

NEW DELHI : A disabled woman passenger has alleged she had to "crawl" to the passenger coach after deboarding an Air India plane as the carrier failed to arrange a wheel chair for her due to "security" reasons, a charge denied by the airline.

The government-run airline claimed a wheel chair was provided to the passenger at aircraft doorstep itself.

The incident took place yesterday when Anita Ghai, a Delhi University associate professor, landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi by Alliance Air (Air India's regional arm) from Dehradun and requested for a wheel chair.

"I boarded this flight with four of my colleagues. Despite my repeated request, the (air) hostess did not cognize my requirement for a wheel chair after reaching. The flight reached at 7:30 pm. I waited patiently with one of my friends," she said

timesnownews.com/india/article/disabled-woman-passenger-alleges-air-india-made-her-crawl/30034

Air India in trouble? Activists demand inquiry

2/6/2016

Bengaluru, Feb 6: The disabled rights activists are demanding an inquiry into the incident where a physically challenged passenger was made to crawl on the tarmac of the Delhi airport. The activists want the Civil Aviation Ministry to set-up an inquiry and punish the guilty for gross negligence.

Recently, a shocking event came to light when Anita Ghai, Associate Professor, Delhi University, who is physically challenged, was denied a wheelchair while de-boarding from an Air India flight in Delhi. Thus she had to "crawl" to the passenger coach after landing at the airport.

"Despite my repeated requests, the [air] hostess did not recognise my requirement for a wheelchair after reaching. The flight reached at 7.30 p.m. I waited patiently with one of my friends," Ghai said.

"At 8:15 pm, we realised that there was no chance of [getting] a wheelchair. The [passenger] coach came at 8.30 p.m. after repeated requests from the flight commander. Since security reasons are critical, they made me crawl to go to the coach," she alleged.

"We demand an inquiry into the horrible incident where Air India made Professor Anita Ghai, a differently-abled woman passenger, crawl on the tarmac of the Delhi airport by denying her a wheelchair. The responsible persons need to be punished for this gross negligence. Air India should give an unconditional apology to the passenger.

They cannot ill-treat people with disabilities in this horrible manner. The latest guidelines on 'Carriage by Air of persons with disability or reduced mobility' must be strictly enforced in line with the goals of the 'Accessible India' campaign," said a petition on Avaaz.org.

Avaaz is a global web movement to bring people-powered politics to decision-making everywhere.

The petition with 20,000 signatures will be submitted to the Disability Commissioner KK Pandey to investigate the matter soon.

"Let's get 20,000 signatures in the next 72 hours so that she can submit a people-powered petition to him," reads the petition.

Here is the Avaaz petition: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Civil_Aviation_Minister_Ashok_Gajapathi_Raju_Inquiry_into_HORRIBLE_INCIDENT_making_disabled_woman_passenger_CRAWL/?bsSthib&v=72574&cl=9473467683

However, Air India had earlier denied the allegation.

"We deeply regret any inconvenience caused to the passenger. However, we strongly deny the statement appearing in media. We at Air India give utmost importance to passenger's safety and comfort," an Air India statement said.

oneindia.com/india/air-india-in-trouble-activists-demand-inquiry-2004984.html

Security agencies defend frisking disabled woman

13 July 2013 
Pragya Singh

New Delhi : The Airport security agencies in India find no wrong in frisking of disabled at the airports. Amidst the hullabaloo over the incident at Mumbai airport where a woman passenger was asked remove her prosthetic leg; security agencies said that the measure is taken to ensure that nothing suspicious is allowed to be carried by a passenger inside the aircraft.

It was also stated that post 9/11, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) protocol does not provide any leverage to an air traveller merely because of disabilities. They insisted that the artificial limb removal in no way followed to intrude into people's privacy.

Security authorities feel that the removal of the prosthetic limbs during the security drill should not be treated as an insult to the person. “Despite creating a fuss about the matter, people should come forward and cooperate with the security procedures followed. Passengers should treat this as a matter of national security and not a shameful act, which is just being followed to ensure the safety of the airport premises, aircraft as well as of the co-passengers,” said a senior BCAS official.

Senior BCAS officials said that the procedure to remove the artificial limb during the security drill has to be followed in case the frisking officer is not satisfied with its genuineness. Usually an explosive trace detector (ETD) is used to frisk the artificial limb. “Usually the prosthetic limbs, especially those imported from the other countries are very sophisticated in nature. These artificial limbs come in various types and may be added with the movement for the joints. In such cases, it becomes very difficult for the security personnel to ascertain the authenticity of the limb and ensure that the person is not taking its aid to smuggle suspicious objects,” he added.

He further said that not just the limbs, but the wheelchair and other aids are screened separately as part of the security procedure. “In case, the X-Ray machine is smaller in size to that of the wheelchair, manual frisking is done. The authorities cannot allow security lapse at the sensitive premises such as of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.” The security protocols, even if they demand the removal of the prosthetic limbs in some cases, have been set up to ensure the safety and security of the air travellers.

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials too said that at many instances it becomes a necessity to get the artificial limbs removed so that nothing suspicious gets passed on to the aircraft. “At many instances, due to the sophisticated limbs worn by the passengers, it becomes a necessity to get the prosthetic limbs removed. To check the prosthetic limbs, usually an explosive trace detector (ETD) device is used. An ETD however, can only detect explosives and the suspicious objects such as knives can still be hidden inside. However, at times due to the sophisticated and complicated nature of the limbs, which are fitted with electronic gadgets it becomes next to impossible to ascertain its genuineness. In such cases, the official deployed for the frisking gets the limbs removed,” said CISF spokesperson, Hemendra Singh.

He, however, added that CISF personnel are trained to deal with such matters in a humane manner and such people are frisked in a separate room, keeping the privacy concerns in mind. “While dealing with the persons with disability or those who are unwell, the personnel have been instructed to follow a courteous manner, so that the security does not hurt the sentiments of such passengers. Even our personnel understand that the removal of the limbs causes inconvenience to the persons with disability, but it has to be followed in some cases to clear the suspicion of the constables deployed,” he added.

dailypioneer.com/city/security-agencies-defend-frisking-disabled-woman.html