Theme Air Travel | Disability | Aviation Industry
Press Trust of India | New Delhi last updated on October 27, 2021 01:45 IST
The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday issued draft guidelines for stakeholders in the aviation sector such as airlines and airports to ensure that people with disabilities can travel with peace of mind.
Actor and dancer Sudha Chandran (Sudha Chandran) posted a video on social media last week about her painful experience of being asked to remove her prosthesis every time she went through a security check at any airport.
According to the draft guidelines, airport operators must make special arrangements to facilitate screening of people with special needs in order to conduct screening efficiently, "keep in mind the dignity and privacy of passengers."
It mentioned that when inspecting prostheses, most airports' airport security inspections under the charge of CISF may use X-rays, explosive trace detection equipment or visual inspections according to their requirements.
It pointed out that passengers with prostheses will first pass through the door frame metal detectors, and then they should be taken to a private security checkpoint and allowed to sit down comfortably.
The draft guidelines stated that the passenger will then undergo additional checks, including tapping.
"The prosthetic device without any foam-filled cover can hide any weapons or explosives, and the steel rod of the device is clearly visible, which can be screened only by visual inspection and ETD inspection without removing it." However, in very few cases Under the circumstances, if there are sufficient reasons, including the analysis of passengers, X-ray inspection can be resorted to. It stated that the reason for the additional X-ray inspection of the prosthesis should be recorded by the inspector. Prosthetic devices whose steel rods are not visible must undergo X-ray inspection.
The draft guidelines also stated that passengers with external equipment such as insulin pumps, hearing aids, cochlear implants, spinal stimulators, bone growth stimulators and ostomy do not have to disconnect them for X-ray examinations.
It added that in most cases, passengers can self-check these devices and then perform ETD screening on their hands.
It mentioned that passengers with disabilities should inform the airline of their complete requirements 48 hours before the scheduled departure, so that the carrier can make the necessary arrangements.
It pointed out that if passengers want to check wheelchairs at the airport, airlines must ensure that wheelchairs are properly taxed and sent to the baggage sorting area with service partners to avoid any damage.
Passengers should check with the airline about the specific requirements for carrying service animals on board. The draft guidelines mention that low-floor coaches or ramps should be used for comfortable boarding or wheelchair users should be prohibited.
"Airlines should ensure that new employees are trained on disability awareness and that all employees are reviewed regularly to reiterate customer assistance policies and standard operating procedures for different types of disabilities," it mentioned.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation gives the public three weeks to put forward comments and suggestions on the draft "Civil Aviation Accessibility Standards and Guidelines", after which the final guidelines will be issued.
(Only the title and image of this report may have been redesigned by the business standards staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from the joint feed.)
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