A wheelchair user was trapped on a plane for more than an hour and a half after airport staff failed to help her get off the flight. Gatwick Airport staff never arrived to help Victoria Brignell leave her flight from Malta. He calls for a change in the aviation sector, with redesigned airplanes for wheelchair users.

A wheelchair user was trapped on a plane for 95 minutes after airport staff failed to come and help her get off the flight. Victoria Brignell, 45, landed at Gatwick Airport on a British Airways flight from Malta on June 4. Having been paralyzed from the neck down, Brignell was in a wheelchair and knew she would have to wait a while to get off the flight. However, staff at Gatwick Airport, near London, never arrived to get her off the plane. Brignell explained to Insider that when an airplane lands, they have to lift it from its seat in a treadmill, a special wheelchair used to carry wheelchair users to the airplane door and then into the wheelchair. their. “When I landed in Gatwick, the crew told me it would take 50 minutes for the staff to get off the plane. Later, I was told it would be another half hour.

“The airline staff was great. They kept asking me if I was okay, they offered me drinks and they never stopped apologizing even though it was not their fault,” Brignell told Insider. In the “disappointing” 95 minutes, Brignell was stuck in an awkward position resting on pillows to support her body and without a bath to use, as commercial airlines do not have accessible toilets. Eventually, Brignell and British Airways staff stopped waiting and the crew helped her get off the plane. “As I was getting off the plane, I saw all these poor passengers waiting at the departure gate waiting for their flight for an hour and a half because I was stuck on the plane.” The story goes on “If you improve services for people with disabilities, you will improve them for everyone and you can see that here until the next flight it will be an hour and a half late.” Brignell was on the flight with caregivers and her friend Kevin Bonavia, who said: “Leaving disabled passengers out is a shame. I was shocked when the pilot first told us that Victoria would have to wait at least 50 minutes. “The excuse given the shortage of staff was unacceptable and there should have been back-up plans.” Victoria Brignell (R) and her boyfriend Kevin (L) on vacation in Malta.Victoria Brignell Gatwick Airport has since apologized for the incident. A spokesman told Insider: “The treatment he received at the airport was unacceptable. The CEO and CEO of Gatwick have spoken out and expressed their sincere apologies to Victoria.” The airport told Victoria that subcontractor Wilson James was managing staff who failed to help her. They told the Insider: “We are deeply disappointed to have offered poor services in this case. While the aviation sector in particular is struggling with well-documented pressures, Ms Brignell’s experience is unacceptable and falls far short of our values ​​and goals. “A service provider; Wilson James’s team sincerely apologizes. Wilson James and the airport are investigating the incident as a matter of priority.” Not an isolated incident Brignell said this was only the second flight she had ever made and was delayed due to “horror stories” by other wheelchair users. “I want to emphasize that this is not an isolated incident,” Brignell said. He recalled the recently reported case of Daryl Tavernor, a wheelchair user who stayed on a flight for two hours at Manchester Airport and eventually had to call the police to help him get off the plane. Brignell had received support from House of Lords Lady Tanni Gray-Thompson, who told Good Morning Britain that she had recently been forced to board a plane when she was not allowed to disembark. Brignell is now calling for substantial changes in the airline industry to support disabled passengers. “In the long run, we need to look at redesigning airplanes so that we can travel in our wheelchairs. “This will avoid the need for staff to come and help me get off the plane, it will make the journey much more comfortable for me and thirdly it will avoid the risk of losing or breaking my wheelchair.” I can travel in my wheelchair by bus, train and taxi. “Nowadays, I should be able to fly with my wheelchair,” Brignell told Insider. Read the original article in Business Insider