The BBC’s Frank Gardner, the security correspondent, posted a photo of an abandoned airplane cabin on Twitter, saying: “FFS not again! As soon as I came back from the exhausting week covering the NATO summit in Madrid and the surprise, I am still stuck on the plane in Gatwick. “The Iberia crew is gone and a new crew is on board. “WHY are UK airports so permanently stupid in removing people with disabilities from airplanes?” In a subsequent message, Mr Gardner clarified that his producer had stayed with him on the aircraft “but the crew left”. In a later post, Gardner said he waited 20 minutes – but added that ground officials did not know he was waiting for help. “Except for the plane now – only a 20 minute delay which is mild – but the ground officials said ‘no one told us there was a disabled passenger’. Airline, Iberia, insists they did. wrote Mr. Gardner. When asked by a follower about comparative experiences at other airports in different countries, an outraged Mr. Gardner replied: “It never happens abroad, only in the United Kingdom.” My fellow wheelchair user Jan Crispin replied: “True, this is my experience.” Mr. Gardner is an experienced Middle East correspondent and author of books such as Crisis, Ultimatum, Blood & Sand, and Far Horizons. In 2004, he was shot six times by Al Qaeda operatives on a mission in Saudi Arabia and paralyzed, while his cameraman was killed in the attack. He told the BBC in a 2020 article that he can stand with calipers and a skeleton, but it is usually more effective to use a wheelchair. In May 2022, Mr. Gardner wrote on Twitter that he was stuck on a plane that landed in Heathrow. “It simply came to our notice then. Stuck on an empty plane at Heathrow Airport long after everyone else got off – “there is no staff to take my wheelchair off the plane”. “I am SO disappointed with @HeathrowAirport as disabled passengers are once again obviously the lowest priority,” he wrote at the time. According to the Civil Aviation Authority, passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility “are legally entitled to support, commonly known as ‘Special Assistance’, when traveling by air”. “This means that airports and airlines need to provide help and assistance, which is free and helps ensure you have a less stressful trip.” Wheelchair users should usually notify their airline 48 hours before the flight that they need special assistance, which is often provided by dedicated staff from the airport’s own assistance team. Mr Gardner did not say whether he had booked special assistance with Gatwick in the case. Gatwick Special Assistance (SA) policy states that the airport aims to have all booked SA customers arriving on airport flights within 20 minutes. However, its online targets state that it aims to have ready-made support staff at the gate five minutes after arriving in 80 percent of cases. A Gatwick spokesman said: “We apologize for Mr Gardner’s delay in this case. We are working closely with the help provider, Wilson James, to determine the reasons for this. “At this stage, there does not appear to have been any booking of special assistance from the airline for Mr Gardner. However, as soon as we were informed, the team responded and Mr. Gardner received assistance within 20 minutes. “We strive to provide the best possible service to all passengers, so we will continue to work with Wilson James and the airline concerned. “We apologize again for any delay by Mr Gardner on his return from the NATO summit in Madrid.” Iberia has denied that Mr Gardner was left alone after the passengers disembarked. A spokesman for the airline said: “At all times, the established procedure was followed so that upon arrival at its destination, the assistance service for our customers with reduced mobility would be provided. “During the boarding in Madrid (MAD), the request for assistance to Gatwick (LGW) was registered through the notification system created with the airport. In addition, the crew notified the request by radio upon arrival at the airport, and the flight attendant who also monitored the flight also requested telephone service when landing began and saw that assistance had not arrived when the aircraft landed. “While the service was arriving, the Iberia Express flight crew took care of Frank and another customer, who had notified the service in advance and was also waiting for help, and both were picked up at the same time.” Last week, wheelchair user Suzanne Croft said she felt “injured and humiliated” as special help was slow or non-existent at two separate UK airports, with her husband and airline staff taking her from her flight to Heathrow. Mrs Croft, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, was flying from Newcastle International to Heathrow, London, on June 9 when problems with airport assistance arose. Upon arrival, her husband and airline staff “had to put me in a folding chair that did not have a seat belt. “My husband held my legs, while a polite member of the crew of the next flight pushed me into the arrival lounge,” he told reporters. “It’s not waiting, I’m used to it. “It is humiliation and humiliation,” he added. James Taylor, director of strategy at the Scope Disability Equality charity, said: “Frank Gardner is regularly frustrated at UK airports and is an experienced journalist and traveler with an important profile and platform. “But this is not a new phenomenon, people with disabilities in this country often fail before the current staff shortages. For a long time, we have been extremely concerned that airports, airlines and train operators are not complying with regulations. “It simply came to our notice then. The impact is often humiliating, stressful and stressful and prevents some people with disabilities from traveling at all. It’s time for regulations to have teeth and be backed by fines and penalties. “
