A distressing video of a woman lying on the floor of Delhi airport while airline staff sit calmly nearby has gone viral on social media. The incident occurred last week, according to news agency PTI.
A person named Vipul Bhimani tweeted the video on May 5, claiming that he was travelling with two other people via Air India. Bhimani said that they were denied entry to board the plane despite being just one minute late.
His aunt then fell sick, suffering from a panic attack. The video showed Air India's staff members sitting at their terminal while the woman lay on the ground, and her family rushed to get water.
Air India took note of the video, and sought details of the incident from Bhimani. Subsequent correspondence on Twitter appeared to suggest that the airline promised to refund the ticket amount.
Later, as the video gained traction and outrage against Air India grew, the airline issued a clarification. Air India claimed that a doctor and a CISF personnel had been called immediately to help the passenger, but she had started feeling better by then. The airline said that the woman declined medical and wheelchair assistance.
Regarding the denial to board, Air India said that it has to adhere to rules, and couldn't delay the flight as all the other passengers had boarded on time. Air India claimed its staff had repeatedly called the names of the three people in question before the gate closed.
India's aviation regulator DGCA said that it had sought a report from the airline.