Antrak Air sued for discriminating against disabled passengers
- Written by George Sensalis
The Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled is suing Antrak Air and two other airlines alleging they refuse to sell tickets to disabled people.
In a motion filed with the Human Rights Division of the High Court of Ghana, GSPD asks the court to restrain the three airlines from discriminating against disabled people by refusing to sell them tickets.
“We handle passengers with reduced mobility, although there are categories we cannot accept for carriage since we do not have the equipment to handle such, and may add more complications to passengers if compromised,” a spokesperson for Antrak Air said.
The airline said it cannot provide for passengers who require support going up and down the stairs and those who need an aisle chair to move about the cabin.
Antrak Air operates a fleet of ATR72 airplanes. Because of its narrow aisle, this plane is the only aircraft exempt from having to store an on-board wheelchair under the US Air Carrier Access Act.
The manual handling of passengers on-board the ATR72 airplane is dangerous for both the passenger and helpers due to the peculiarity of its cabin.
In its lawsuit, the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled also alleges lack of supervision from the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. According to GSPD, Ghana’s CAA failed to make sure airlines comply with Section 28 (1) of the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715).
The Section states that “The Civil Aviation Authority and any other authority responsible for the management of a port shall provide facilities that will aid the movement of a person with disability at the port”.
