Air Namibia apologises to wheelchair user
Air Namibia has apologised for the way it treated a teenage passenger who had been refused a seat on one of their flights because she is in a wheelchair.
The Namibian yesterday reported that Anastasia Helao, whose daughter Victoria Martin has been living with a disability for two years after a life-changing car accident in 2015, said she had booked a flight from Walvis Bay to Windhoek last week, where they were scheduled for a routine appointment with a specialist. The two could not board the flight and had to drive instead.
She said she paid around N$5 000 for two air tickets last Wednesday, only to be turned away at the check-in point on Thursday morning when they were about to board the plane. According to her the airport manager said they did not allow people in wheelchairs to get onto planes.
She said the manager told her that they had made a mistake in allowing her to book for the flight in the first place.
Yesterday the airline issued a statement on its Facebook page saying that the airline operates four ERJ 35 Embraer aircraft for domestic routes, four Airbus A319-100 aircraft for some regional routes and two Airbus A330-100 aircraft for long-haul flights.
It said the domestic routes are serviced by the ERJ Embraer with a limited capacity of 37 passengers and that this specific aircraft does not make provision for wheelchair-bound passengers, due to its narrow size, design and weight restrictions.
“The aircraft's staircase strictly allows for one passenger to board at any given time. Hence the requirement that every passenger boarding on this aircraft is required to climb the staircase on their own, without any aid or assistance,” said the airline.
It added that the machinery used to lift passengers onto the aircraft is only compatible with the larger aircraft used on regional and international routes.
“Due to the size of the aircraft, it is only operated by one safety officer on board.
In case of emergencies all passengers are required to be able to aid themselves, in case the safety officer is rendered incapacitated.
“It is our future aspiration to operate bigger aircraft on our domestic routes which can accommodate passengers on wheelchairs.
Unfortunately, these aircraft cannot operate at some of our airports, due to limited equipment and infrastructure. We fully comply with the countries law and safety is key in our operations,” said Air Namibia.
STAFF REPORTER
The Namibian yesterday reported that Anastasia Helao, whose daughter Victoria Martin has been living with a disability for two years after a life-changing car accident in 2015, said she had booked a flight from Walvis Bay to Windhoek last week, where they were scheduled for a routine appointment with a specialist. The two could not board the flight and had to drive instead.
She said she paid around N$5 000 for two air tickets last Wednesday, only to be turned away at the check-in point on Thursday morning when they were about to board the plane. According to her the airport manager said they did not allow people in wheelchairs to get onto planes.
She said the manager told her that they had made a mistake in allowing her to book for the flight in the first place.
Yesterday the airline issued a statement on its Facebook page saying that the airline operates four ERJ 35 Embraer aircraft for domestic routes, four Airbus A319-100 aircraft for some regional routes and two Airbus A330-100 aircraft for long-haul flights.
It said the domestic routes are serviced by the ERJ Embraer with a limited capacity of 37 passengers and that this specific aircraft does not make provision for wheelchair-bound passengers, due to its narrow size, design and weight restrictions.
“The aircraft's staircase strictly allows for one passenger to board at any given time. Hence the requirement that every passenger boarding on this aircraft is required to climb the staircase on their own, without any aid or assistance,” said the airline.
It added that the machinery used to lift passengers onto the aircraft is only compatible with the larger aircraft used on regional and international routes.
“Due to the size of the aircraft, it is only operated by one safety officer on board.
In case of emergencies all passengers are required to be able to aid themselves, in case the safety officer is rendered incapacitated.
“It is our future aspiration to operate bigger aircraft on our domestic routes which can accommodate passengers on wheelchairs.
Unfortunately, these aircraft cannot operate at some of our airports, due to limited equipment and infrastructure. We fully comply with the countries law and safety is key in our operations,” said Air Namibia.
STAFF REPORTER
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