A spate of complaints about non-availability of pre-booked wheelchair service at major Indian airports propelled the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to amend “special service” norms for airlines. As part of the revised wheelchair rules, DGCA – a leading Indian civil aviation regulator – now allows airlines to leavy a fee for wheelchair bookings by able-bodied passengers and senior travelers in good health. At the same time, DGCA made it clear that airlines must continue to provide wheelchair assistance as a free service to those who genuinely need it at airports.
DGCA also directed the airlines to display the above on their websites. However, there is yet no clarity on how airlines would identify whether a passenger genuinely needs free wheelchair service and how much fee will be levied on non-genuine wheelchair bookings. A draft on the revision was issued in August 2025 after the civil aviation watchdogs, including DGCA, were taken aback by facts about the misuse of free wheelchair service – a key facility for those with physical debility, limited mobility, or some medical condition.
An 82-year-old woman, among the passengers of Air India, suffered a fall while walking with difficulty due to wheelchair shortage at New Delhi Airport on that given day in March 2025. It led DGCA to probe why the available number of wheelchairs did not suffice to fulfil daily requests at airports. The investigation revealed the overbooking and misuse of free wheelchair assistance by able-bodied passengers in their 40s or 50s. It leaves senior citizens with limited mobility deprived of the service at busy Indian airports.
It is undeniable that having wheelchair support (for free) is the easiest way to skip long queues, from security to immigration, at the busiest airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad, as wheelchair-bound passengers get priority service for baggage check-in and boarding. Besides, non-Hindi and non-English speaking passengers depend on wheelchair staff to navigate the crowded terminals of Mumbai and Delhi international airports where wayfinding signages and information displays are only in Hindi and English.
New DGCA Guidelines for Wheelchair Assistance at Airports
“To facilitate the timely provision of special assistance, passengers who have pre-booked wheelchairs shall report to the airport sufficiently in advance of their scheduled boarding time. Considering airport-specific constraints such as terminal layout, security procedures, and resource availability, airlines may prescribe a minimum reporting time to facilitate hassle-free assistance,” the DGCA circular to airlines states.
While providing wheelchairs to passengers for free or a fee is airlines’ primary responsibility, airport operators are not exempt to it, according to DGCA’s new rules for special service at airports. If airlines fall short of fulfilling wheelchair requests during a busy travel season, airport operators must have a provision of supplementary wheelchairs to help airlines render special assistance to travelers with genuine needs.
A number of wheelchair requests come from travelers booking flights from India to USA, Canada, the UK, Singapore, Australia and other countries, as many Indians fly overseas to get medical care or visit their children residing there. DGCA’s new guidelines for airlines to charge able-bodied travelers for wheelchair service will impact passengers of Air India flights and IndiGo’s codeshare flights with Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, American Airlines, and Air France-KLM.
Maybe this is also another for the airlines to make money. People with money can purchase wheelchair assistance if they want and some with handicap will try to walk and injure themself, best way is get a doctors requisition for wheel chair or show their handicap pass.
Long overdue move. Indians have been abusing this facility too much. Charge 5000 rupees minimum for wheelchair and 3000 rupees for the labour pushing the person seated. Suddenly 90% will start walking on their own.