The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), under the Civil Aviation Ministry, has come out with new detailed guidelines for the physically challenged undertaking air travel making it very clear that no airline could refuse them to fly.
Officials in the Aviation Ministry said under the new norms, airlines and airports have been asked to provide all required facilities and assistance to meet the needs of the disabled and make them public through their websites within three months from now. The new rules make it compulsory for the airlines and airports to impart necessary training to their staff to assist such passengers.
The airlines have been asked to make provisions for guide dogs accompanying persons with disabilities subject to the condition that they are properly trained, remain at the passenger’s feet, properly harnessed and vaccinated.
In the recently notified Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), aviation regulator DGCA has also asked airlines not to insist on medical certificates or special forms from such persons who wish to travel without an escort. Such certificates should be sought only when such a traveler has some disease or there is a possibility of aggravation of medical condition during flight, among other things. “No airline shall refuse to carry persons with disability or reduced mobility and their assisting aids/devices, escorts and guide dogs including their presence in the cabin, provided such persons or their representatives, at the time of booking, inform the airline of their requirements,” it said.
Apart from giving information on the facilities required by such a passenger during ticket booking, the concerned traveler would have to again inform the airline 48 hours before the flight about his or her specific nature and level of special assistance required while embarking, disembarking and in-flight. The detailed CAR, however, also says the dos and don’ts for airlines and airports given was not an exhaustive list, indicating that it could evolve over time.
