The Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) revised rules for disabled air travellers that required a doctor’s opinion to permit them to fly is an “insult to injury” as it conflated disability and ill-health, and must be rolled back, demanded disability rights groups.
The aviation safety regulator on Friday amended its Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) on Carriage by Air - Persons with Disability. While the rule said that disability can't be ground for denying boarding to a passenger, it stated that if the airline perceives that a passenger's health can deteriorate during a flight, it must seek a doctor's opinion on whether such a person is fit to fly or not.
"The DGCA's rule penalises those who are atypical in appearance, communication or behavioural expression by requiring additional screening by the average lay person or medical professional who has not been exposed or sensitised to disability or even diversity of the human experience," said the Freedom of Movement Coalition (FMC), a pan-India group advocating for equity in transport.
