A Ukrainian war veteran was faraway from a Wizz Air flight this weekend from Tel Aviv to Warsaw. The person, who lost his leg through the ongoing war with Russia, was reportedly in Israel for medical treatment and was on his way home to his family.
In accordance with an announcement by the airline, the person was unable to soundly fly as a result of medical reasons.
“We apologise for the upset caused regarding a passenger on our Tel Aviv flight to Warsaw recently. Safety is our primary priority and it’s our crew’s responsibility to be sure that all passengers are fit to fly or are accompanied by someone to support them. If there’s any indication that a passenger has a medical condition that may put them in danger while flying, we’re obligated to disclaim boarding. On this instance, it was a difficult but obligatory decision taken with the passenger’s safety in mind.”
NEXTA, an independent Belarusian media outlet based in Poland, reported that the person was denied boarding as a result of his prosthesis. In accordance with the report, it caused the person to be unable to properly sit in his seat.
The person remained onboard for about an hour and a half before he was faraway from the aircraft. During that point, he reportedly showed crew members his backpack and later fell and injured his hands. NEXTA also reported that he began yelling, asking how he was to return home.
Conflicting reports
Although the airline’s statement said the person was unfit to fly for medical reasons, NEXTA claims he was forced off the aircraft as a result of the crew’s judgment of his behavior.
Hungarian news site, Telex, received an extra update from Wizz Air.
“The passenger concerned was not in a fit state to fly and, in accordance with safety regulations, the crew was unfortunately forced to disclaim boarding … as much as they desired to help the passenger get home to his family [the flight crew] acted with the security of the opposite passengers on board in mind and in accordance with the required protocol, in consultation with the airport medical staff and the captain of the aircraft.”
Discrimination claims
Wizz Air later tweeted that the person’s removal by no means represented discrimination against someone with a disability.
“To be clear, we’d never discriminate against someone on the grounds of a disability and recurrently fly passengers with prosthesis.”
The airline said in its statement on Twitter that the crew provided the person with water and a spot to sit down while awaiting further assistance on the airport. Wizz Air has not yet responded to Easy Flying’s request for comment.
Israel announced in September 2022 that it could receive 20 seriously wounded Ukrainian soldiers for treatment, to incorporate provision of prosthetics and rehabilitation. It’s unclear at the moment whether the person attempting to return home was amongst this group.
Do you think that there could have been a legitimate medical reason for removing the person from the Wizz Air flight? Tell us within the comments below.
Sources: Every day News Hungary, Telex