15 Year Old Autistic Boy Denied Boarding in at Bengaluru Airport
Is autism a disease? If not, why is it treated like one? Read an incident that showcases how a teen was discriminated against, for being autistic!
On 16th May 2023, a Srilankan Airlines flight denied boarding a 15-year-old autistic boy at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). The boy was travelling from Bengaluru to v via Colombo with his mother, father and his brother.
When the family was waiting to get their luggage checked in, the Srilankan Airlines’ two male ground staff members walked up to them and began asking the mother questions. The mother told them that he is autistic and communicates using a mobile application. After knowing this, the staff said that allowing her son to board the flight could pose a threat to fellow passengers and the pilot as well.Her son heard it all and held her hands as he was scared.
They were carrying the Unique Disability ID card (UDID) issued by the Government of India. On producing the card, the airlines asked them to show a certificate by the boy’s doctor that states that he can board flights. The mother had to explain to the airline staff that autism is not a disease, and hence the boy does not need a doctor. He has been on trips frequently, and his last trip was to Dubai. Her child has never been harassed like this before.
With the airline crew holding up the autistic teen and the family by forcing them out of the check-in line, the parents argued it was illegal to deny boarding to the boy. The mother fought against the decision of the airlines for two hours and finally they were allowed to board.
Taking note of the situation, officials of Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), which operates KIA intervened. They informed the airline crew the family had informed them about their travel with a special child 2 days in advance and the same had been informed to the airlines as well. The mother said that, “Following this, they took a copy of his UDID card and contacted the airline higher-ups. Finally, after two hours, we got clearance for my son to fly and the information on the clearance was given to us by the BIAL staff, who were extremely supportive in the situation,"
But the family's ordeal didn't end even then as two SriLanka Airlines crew allegedly tailed the teen from a distance as the group cleared pre-departure security checks and boarded the flight. The mother said."It became very intimidating for my son and also us, with the two men following us all the way to the aircraft as if to catch something untoward," After the family returned from Maldives, the woman filed a complaint with the airline and airport police against the two male ground staff members and their behaviour towards her child.
