Vir Das says Air India didn’t give wheelchair to injured wife. Airline’s response
Comedian Vir Das criticized Air India for not providing a pre-booked wheelchair for his wife, who has a fractured foot.
Comedian and actor Vir Das has taken to social media to express his frustration with Air India after he pre-booked a wheelchair for his wife, only to end up with clueless stares from the cabin crew when the wheelchair was needed. Das, 45, said his wife ended up climbing down the aircraft stepladder with a fractured foot after the Air India flight landed in Delhi.
This was not the only issue they faced during flight AI816 from Mumbai to Delhi. Das said that despite paying ₹50,000 per seat, they ended up with broken tables, broken leg rests, and a seat stuck in the reclined position.
In a statement to HT.com, Air India said the delay in providing a wheelchair was due to “unusually high demand for wheelchairs and staff at that time.”
Vir Das’ Air India experience
Vir Das described himself as an Air India loyalist who disliked having to call the airline out in public. In an X post shared early this morning, the Emmy winning comedian wrote: “I’m a lifetime loyalist. I believe you’ve got the nicest cabin crew in the sky, this post pains me to write.”
Das explained that he and his wife had booked Pranaam meet-and-greet services and requested a wheelchair, as his wife is recovering from a foot fracture. They were flying to Delhi with tickets priced at ₹50,000 per seat - so they ended up shelling out ₹1 lakh in total.
“Broken table, broken leg rests, her seat is stuck reclined, won’t straighten fully,” wrote Das in his X post, adding that all this happened on a flight that was apparently “newly refurbished.”
On lack of wheelchair assistance
“Two hours late, we get off in Delhi and we’re told it’s a stepladder. Again wheelchair and Encalm pre-booked,” wrote Das.
Seeing no wheelchair in sight, he asked the flight attendants to assist his wife while he took care of the baggage. Their response? “Silence and a clueless look at each other.”
At the top of the stepladder, the actor-comedian again asked ground crew for assistance, only to be ignored.
“We step off the plane to the top of the ladder. I ask an Air India male ground staff member to help us, looks at me, shrugs, and ignores me,” Das recalled.
His wife somehow made it down the stepladder with her fractured foot. At the bottom, near the buses, Das informed a crew member of what had happened. The staff member only replied saying “Sir kya karein… sorry (What to do, sir. Sorry).”
Clueless staff
Vir Das and his wife had more to endure before they could make it out of the airport. Once they reached the terminal, Encalm staff informed wheelchair staff that Das had pre-booked a wheelchair.
Encalm is a private airport services company that was likely responsible for arranging the wheelchair and assistance services that Das had pre-booked, but they were let down because Air India didn’t coordinate properly or deliver on it.
“We get to the terminal, Encalm people inform wheelchair staff that we had pre booked a chair. He’s clueless,” wrote Das. However, there were wheelchairs lying around unclaimed, so the comedian simply grabbed one and wheeled his wife out himself.
“No staff because the flight is late. I grab a chair and wheel her to baggage claim, then out of the airport to the parking,” he wrote.
He ended his post by asking Air India to claim the wheelchair from the parking area.
Air India's response
In a statement to HT.com, a spokesperson for Air India said: "We have noted with concern a social media post by Mr Das about wheelchair not being provided to his co-passenger while travelling from Mumbai to Delhi on AI816 on 14 April 2025.
"We empathize with the guests, especially given the mobility concern involved, and recognize that this experience fell short of expectations.
"The operating cabin crew offered to assist the guest, including deplaning by using the 'ambulift' assigned to the aircraft as per SOP, but the delay—not denial—in providing wheelchair assistance was due to unusually high demand for wheelchairs and staff at that time.
“Air India remains committed to improving the end-to-end travel experience for all its guests.”
