A journalist recounts a tragic incident during a recent flight that highlights the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in air travel. In a touching social media post, Frank Gardner detailed how he was forced to crawl into the airplane toilet due to a lack of assistance.

He shared a photo from the cabin floor to the X and wrote: “Wow. It’s 2024 and I just wanna crawl across this floor LOT Polish Airlines To go to the toilet during the return flight from Warsaw because “we don’t have wheelchairs on board. This is airline policy”. “If you are disabled and can’t walk, it’s discriminatory.” Gardner became a wheelchair-user after being shot six times by al-Qaeda while on assignment in Saudi Arabia in 2004.

However, he also said that although the staff were apologetic and understanding, it was the airline’s fault. “In fairness to the cabin crew, they were as helpful and apologetic as could be. It’s not their fault, it’s the airline’s. “They will never fly again until they join the 21st century.”

The incident has sparked outrage and calls for improvements to accessibility standards in the aviation industry. Many have criticized the airline for its failure to provide adequate assistance to a disabled passenger.

The Polish airline issued a statement in response to the incident, expressing regret and promising to thoroughly investigate the matter. The airline has also promised to take steps to ensure that such a situation does not happen in future. “We deeply regret the distressing experience Mr. Frank Gardner had on his recent flight with us. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and inconvenience caused by the lack of wheelchairs onboard. Currently, wheelchairs are available onboard our Dreamliner aircraft. However, due to limited space, our short haul fleet does not have this facility yet. We understand the importance of accessibility and are actively testing solutions to equip our short-haul aircraft with wheelchairs onboard in the near future.

The journalist’s harrowing experience has highlighted the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in air travel. In India, passengers can book in advance for wheelchair assistance or carry their own wheelchair, but this also comes with some hassles and high demand can hinder the smooth provision of services. Earlier this year, an 80-year-old passenger collapsed and died at the Mumbai airport after waiting for a wheelchair. DGCA had issued show cause notice to Air India and advisory to all Airlines Ensuring adequate availability of wheelchairs.

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