A disabled BBC journalist has slammed airline Iberia and UK airports after saying he was left “stuck on the plane at Gatwick” following a flight home.
Frank Gardner, the BBC’s security correspondent, posted a photo of an abandoned plane cabin to Twitter, saying: “FFS not again! Just back from exhausting week covering NATO summit in Madrid and quelle surprise, I’m still stuck on the plane at Gatwick.
“Iberia crew are gone and a new crew has come onboard.
“Just WHY are UK airports so consistently crap at getting disabled people off planes?”
In a follow-up message, Mr Gardner clarified that his producer had stayed with him on the aircraft “but the crew cleared off”.
In a later post, Mr Gardner said that he had waited for 20 minutes – but added that ground handlers had been unaware he was waiting to be assisted.
“Off the plane now – only a 20 minute delay which is mild – but ground handlers said ‘nobody told us there was a disabled passenger onboard’. Airline, Iberia, insist they did. All in all, so tedious and boring!” wrote Mr Gardner.
When a follower asked about comparative experiences at other airports in different countries, an exasperated Mr Gardner replied: “It never happens abroad, only in UK”.
Fellow wheelchair user Jan Crispin replied: “True, that’s my experience too.”
Mr Gardner is a seasoned Middle East correspondent and author of books including Crisis, Ultimatum, Blood & Sand and Far Horizons. In 2004 he was shot six times by al-Qaeda operatives while on assignment in Saudi Arabia, and paralysed, while his cameraman was killed in the attack.
He told the BBC in a 2020 article that he can stand using callipers and a frame, but it is usually more efficient to use a wheelchair.
In May 2022, Mr Gardner tweeted about being stuck on a plane having landed at Heathrow.
“It’s happened again. Stuck on an empty plane at Heathrow airport long after everyone else is off – ‘no staff to get my wheelchair off the plane’. I am SO disappointed with @HeathrowAirport as disabled passengers are once again apparently the lowest priority,” he wrote at the time.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority, passengers with a disability or reduced mobility “are legally entitled to support, commonly known as ‘Special Assistance’, when travelling by air”.
“This means airports and airlines must provide help and assistance, which is free of charge, and helps ensure you have a less stressful journey.”
Wheelchair users must…
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