- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Keerthi Mohan
A DISABLED man has revealed how he was left for two hours on a plane after it landed because special assistance booked for him never arrived.
Quamer Khaliq, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, said he suffered “distress and humiliation” following his nine-hour long flight from Orlando, Florida.
After the Thomas Cook Airlines flight touched down at Manchester Airport, Khaliq, his carer and his daughter were forced to stay on board as special assistance booked for his never arrived.
The cabin crew as well as pilot disembarked, and the cleaners came and went.
Khaliq’s ordeal came to an end after newly recruited cabin crew came aboard for training, and he threatened to call 999 to get the fire service to rescue him.
Although the new recruits’ tutor raised the alarm, it took another 30 minutes for a wheelchair to be brought so that Khaliq could disembark.
“There was a moment when I was actually crying. My daughter saw me crying. I wanted this to be special for her,” Khaliq was quoted as saying.
“This was one of her dreams, to go to Disney World. It spoiled it a little bit. She saw me a little bit distressed. When we eventually got home she went to her room and didn’t come out for a good period.”
The airport contractor that provides assistance for disabled passengers, ABM Aviation, apologised and said it was reviewing the incident.
They said in a statement: “ABM Aviation endeavours to work closely with airports, airlines and other service providers to ensure a seamless service to all passengers. We are concerned to hear of Quamer Khaliq’s complaint, received 13th June 2019, about his special assistance experience at Manchester Airport.”
A Manchester Airport spokesman said: “We are committed to ensuring all our customers enjoy a positive experience when travelling through Manchester Airport, and are therefore disappointed to hear the standards we expect of our partners do not appear to have been met on this occasion.
“We have raised this matter as a priority with ABM Aviation, our special assistance provider, and will work with all parties concerned to understand what happened here, and will ensure any lessons are learned.
“As an airport, we have invested heavily in the services we provide to passengers requiring special assistance over the past 12 months.
“This includes the introduction of the Sunflower Lanyard for customers with hidden disabilities and setting up a dedicated airport Disability Engagement Forum, which has played an important role in developing our plan to improve performance.
“Furthermore, we changed special assistance provider at Manchester at the start of this financial year and heavily invested in resource and new equipment.”
