Air India In The Dock For Not Taking Care Of Child Travelling Alone

download (2)Customers stand at an Air India reservation office at the domestic airport in Mumbai May 8, 2012. Air India has cancelled four international flights after about a 100 pilots called in “sick” late on Monday, in a move to mount pressure on the state-run carrier on their demands for exclusivity in flying Boeing’s Dreamliner. REUTERS/Vivek Prakash (INDIA – Tags: BUSINESS TRANSPORT)

A Mumbai based family has filed a complaint against Air India for leaving their 11-year-old son unattended at Azerbaijan airport, where the dreamliner was diverted to due to some technical reasons.

According to a Mumbai Mirror report, Karan Singh Kothari, who was travelling on a London-Mumbai flight on 10 July was left all by himself at the Azerbaijan airport by the crew of Air India after the plane made an emergency landing.

The child was made to sit inside the aircraft for two hours with the air-conditioning turned off.

After Karan was allowed to get off, he was taken to the Heydar Aliyev International Airport where the crew left him alone. He was stranded at the airport for 12 hours, the report stated.

Karan luckily heard the announcement and rushed to the concerned authorities and informed them that he was an unaccompanied minor and showed the documents.

“The crew handed over his passport and documents to the local staff in the tarmac bus who took my son to the airport, verified his documents and handed him a boarding pass and travel documents including passport and Karan’s re-entry student permit issued by UK immigration,” Sonali, Karan’s mother said.

The child’s condition, who survived on a sandwich and a glass of water, has forced the family to seek damages for the mental trauma their son had gone through.

Karan was alone at the airport and could have misplaced his documents or boarded a wrong flight, his parents complained.

According to airline rules, children between five to 12 years of age and travelling alone are classified as Unaccompanied Minors and the airline has to have its ground staff and cabin crew take care of the child, almost acting as his/her guardian.

The family who has lodged a complaint with the civil aviation ministry said, “We have given them two weeks to respond with compensation, failing which I will be forced to escalate the matter and approach the consumer court.”

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