Death of disabled easyJet passenger sees first victim of airport chaos at Gatwick

A disabled passenger on an easyJet flight becomes the first victim of the airport chaos as he falls down an escalator at Gatwick.

An unnamed disabled man has become the first victim of the current chaos surrounding Britain’s airports. He had been waiting for assistance to disembark from an easyJet flight at Gatwick Airport, as reported by The Sun, today, Thursday, June 16.

It is believed that the man got impatient while waiting and decided to make his own way into the North Terminal. Tragically, after getting inside the airport facility, he fell down an escalator and died as a result of the injuries he suffered.

The incident occurred yesterday, Wednesday, June 15, at around 12:50pm. A source told the paper that the man had arrived on a flight accompanied by his wife, both of whom required special assistance. “A member of staff came to take the woman into the airport but the man was left on the plane”, they explained. 

“He must not have wanted to wait for the staff member to come back so made his own way into the terminal. While on the escalator, the passenger fell down and suffered serious injuries as a result and died. This is a tragic incident which should never have happened. Someone should have been helping him”, continued the source.

They added, “There’s been a real issue with staffing problems, and some disabled people have had to wait for hours for help. Normal airport staff have had to be reminded not to help disabled passengers if they’re not qualified to, even if it means passengers waiting for hours”.

“A number of our cabin crew provided medical assistance to a passenger at Gatwick whilst waiting for paramedics, however, the passenger sadly passed away”, an easyJet spokesperson said about the incident.

“Questions will be asked about the lack of staff available to assist in the middle of the day when this flight arrived”, commented Paul Charles, a travel expert from the PC Agency. “It shows the increasing frustration of some passengers who can’t wait on aircraft for long periods hoping help may eventually arrive”, he added.

There have been reports of chaotic scenes at airports all across the United Kingdom. Staffing shortages have been blamed for the ensuing delays, which in some cases have even led to flight cancellations. Several airlines have cancelled large numbers of flights over the last few weeks.

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