CCPD orders Air India to pay ₹5 lakh to disabled passenger deboarded over 'Fit-to-Fly' certificate
The CCPD has pulled up Air India for deboarding a wheelchair user without a proper medical assessment. The case also involved alleged damage to her powered wheelchair.
- Sep 29, 2026,
- Updated Sep 29, 2026 9:11 AM IST
The Court of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) directed Air India to pay ₹5 lakh compensation to an 80-year-old locomotor-challenged woman, citing humiliation, who was deboarded from a Delhi-Bhuj flight after being asked for a "Fit-to-Fly" certificate, citing "distress and loss of dignity" that she suffered, The Indian Express reported.
Falguni Maheshwari, a woman with 80 per cent locomotor disability who uses a wheelchair. According to the complaint, Maheshwari travelled from Frankfurt to Delhi on an Air India flight on May 26, 2026, without facing any medical objection.
After boarding her connecting flight from Delhi to Bhuj and taking her seat, the cabin crew questioned whether she could travel independently and asked her to provide a fit-to-fly certificate. She was subsequently deboarded without being given written reasons or undergoing an examination by an airport doctor.
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Maheshwari also alleged that her powered wheelchair was returned in a damaged condition. She was forced to make alternative travel arrangements and pay for additional travel under considerable emotional distress.
Air India cites safety concerns
Air India told the CCPD that Maheshwari was not denied carriage because of her disability. The airline said the cabin crew had observed that she appeared extremely tired and was suffering from a cough and cold, raising concerns about her health and ability to undertake the journey safely.
The airline further stated that Maheshwari later obtained a fit-to-fly certificate and was accommodated on its next available flight without paying an additional fare. Air India also expressed its willingness to repair or compensate her for the damaged wheelchair, according to The Indian Express.
However, the CCPD noted that Air India had not established that Maheshwari was medically assessed before being removed from the aircraft. The court also questioned the airline’s demand for medical clearance when she had already completed the Frankfurt-Delhi journey.
CCPD recommends compensation and staff training
In its September 24 order, the CCPD said accessibility, equality, non-discrimination, dignity and reasonable accommodation are not concessions. It observed that a wheelchair is an essential assistive device linked to a person’s mobility, independence and dignity.
“Accessibility, equality, non-discrimination, dignity and reasonable accommodation are not matters of concession or benevolence, but are statutory rights,” the CCPD said.
The commission said damage to the wheelchair could not be treated like ordinary baggage loss because it directly affected Maheshwari’s autonomy and safety.
It directed the airline to pay ₹5 lakh in compensation to the woman for her mental agony, humiliation, inconvenience and financial hardship. The airline has also been fined ₹50,000 for deboarding a wheelchair user from a Delhi-Bhuj flight after asking her to produce a “fit-to-fly” certificate
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The CCPD also recommended an internal inquiry by Air India, staff training on disability rights and proper handling of assistive devices. The airline has been asked to submit an action-taken report covering the inquiry, compensation and remedial measures.
The Court of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) directed Air India to pay ₹5 lakh compensation to an 80-year-old locomotor-challenged woman, citing humiliation, who was deboarded from a Delhi-Bhuj flight after being asked for a "Fit-to-Fly" certificate, citing "distress and loss of dignity" that she suffered, The Indian Express reported.
Falguni Maheshwari, a woman with 80 per cent locomotor disability who uses a wheelchair. According to the complaint, Maheshwari travelled from Frankfurt to Delhi on an Air India flight on May 26, 2026, without facing any medical objection.
After boarding her connecting flight from Delhi to Bhuj and taking her seat, the cabin crew questioned whether she could travel independently and asked her to provide a fit-to-fly certificate. She was subsequently deboarded without being given written reasons or undergoing an examination by an airport doctor.
MUST READ: Flying SpiceJet to Dubai? 24-hour delay leaves passengers stranded, protesting at Delhi airport
Maheshwari also alleged that her powered wheelchair was returned in a damaged condition. She was forced to make alternative travel arrangements and pay for additional travel under considerable emotional distress.
Air India cites safety concerns
Air India told the CCPD that Maheshwari was not denied carriage because of her disability. The airline said the cabin crew had observed that she appeared extremely tired and was suffering from a cough and cold, raising concerns about her health and ability to undertake the journey safely.
The airline further stated that Maheshwari later obtained a fit-to-fly certificate and was accommodated on its next available flight without paying an additional fare. Air India also expressed its willingness to repair or compensate her for the damaged wheelchair, according to The Indian Express.
However, the CCPD noted that Air India had not established that Maheshwari was medically assessed before being removed from the aircraft. The court also questioned the airline’s demand for medical clearance when she had already completed the Frankfurt-Delhi journey.
CCPD recommends compensation and staff training
In its September 24 order, the CCPD said accessibility, equality, non-discrimination, dignity and reasonable accommodation are not concessions. It observed that a wheelchair is an essential assistive device linked to a person’s mobility, independence and dignity.
“Accessibility, equality, non-discrimination, dignity and reasonable accommodation are not matters of concession or benevolence, but are statutory rights,” the CCPD said.
The commission said damage to the wheelchair could not be treated like ordinary baggage loss because it directly affected Maheshwari’s autonomy and safety.
It directed the airline to pay ₹5 lakh in compensation to the woman for her mental agony, humiliation, inconvenience and financial hardship. The airline has also been fined ₹50,000 for deboarding a wheelchair user from a Delhi-Bhuj flight after asking her to produce a “fit-to-fly” certificate
ALSO READ: Woman damages ₹49,000 worth of airport equipment after IndiGo flight cancellation in Bhubaneswar
The CCPD also recommended an internal inquiry by Air India, staff training on disability rights and proper handling of assistive devices. The airline has been asked to submit an action-taken report covering the inquiry, compensation and remedial measures.