Bulgaria will demand legislative changes and assistance from the European Commission after completing the investigation into the family of four who were removed from the plane, NOVA reported.
One of the low-cost airlines operating in our country refused to transport them on the pretext that the electric wheelchair of one of their children was dangerous. The family was leaving Sofia's Vasil Levski Airport in Sofia, but just before the plane was about to take off, the pilot decided to take the family of four off.
One of their two children has spinal muscular atrophy and because of this, they need to move around with a battery-powered wheelchair. According to the pilot, the wheelchair was dangerous, according to the family, it was in good condition and had all the necessary documents. However, it was the wheelchair that caused the family to be taken off the plane.
Vasil, Serier and their two children arrived weeks ago from Toulouse, France, with the same airline and the same wheelchair. To return home, they come to the airport in Sofia, go through all the checks and get on the plane.
„We check in and 10 minutes before takeoff the captain comes and says „You have to get off the plane”, said Vasil Todorov. The reason for this - his son's battery-powered wheelchair.
„We went from Toulouse to Malta and then – from Malta to Sofia. "We had no problems at both airports, neither during check-in nor on the plane," the man explains.
“I called before we bought the tickets and set off to check”, explained Serie Hodzhova.
The Ministry of Transport and the airport authorities, the family was put on another flight without any problems.
“Flight safety is an absolute priority, but it must go hand in hand with the dignity and equal rights of every passenger, especially when it comes to passengers with physical disabilities”, said the Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov.
Just a few weeks ago, a situation with a woman who was not allowed to board made headlines not only in Bulgarian, but also in all world media. Then the carrier company is the same.
„It strikes me that with this carrier this is the second case of unequal treatment of Bulgarian citizens - I have not heard of anyone else being treated like this in another country”, the minister also said.
After all this, the Minister of Transport will send a letter to the company, and after the inspection will also contact the Irish aviation authorities.
„I will ask for the assistance of the EC, including legislative changes to make it clear that the airlines are the ones who bear the responsibility for loading the assistive devices of people with disabilities. To the EU Ombudsman and to the human rights bodies”, Karadjov assured.
The minister also commented on the assumption that airline employees are incentivized to promote pettiness with regard to luggage.
“They give something like prizes or bonuses for each returned luggage, so that they can pay an additional 65 euros, this is an absolutely brutal practice, if proven”, he also said.