An Indian passenger of Finnair AY832 from london to the airline's hub Helsinki was left bleeding on the tarmac of the airport for 29 minutes, with a jaw bone fracture, a deep gash and four teeth broken when she slipped and fell down while de-boarding on Sep 15, her family says.
In response, Finnair said in an e-mail that it confirms a passenger was injured as she tripped on the stairs while deboarding her flight at Helsinki airport. "We're extremely sorry about the accident and wish the passenger in question a speedy recovery," the airline added.
Vidya Narayan Swamy, the daughter of the passenger Ranjini Narayan Swamy, narrated the incident to IANS. "Believe it or not! No ambulance came to the site for 29 long minutes. When it did, it took a little while for them to put her on a stretcher and examine her in the ambulance," she said.
"The airline's apathy -- or call it a sheer lack of basic courtesies and responsibility towards their own passenger -- did not end here. When the ambulance did arrive, no one from Finnair even bothered to accompany the badly hurt passenger to the hospital," the daughter said.
They were left to fend for themselves. The husband of the injured passenger is an employee of IANS.
The Finnair email, sent by communication specialist, Mark Bosworth, said the passenger was attended to by Finnair crew members until the arrival of the ambulance. "Despite an immediate call to the emergency services, there was an unfortunate delay, and it took some time to arrive. We understand the situation must have been very distressing for the passenger and her family," the airline added.
"We apologise for the delay with the ambulance, however Finnair crew members remained with her throughout this time."
Under the comparable civil aviation guidelines in India, an ambulance has to reach an injured person on the tarmac or apron area within 7-10 minutes. Sometimes, it may also call for a partial shutdown of nearby operations, officials at the international airport here explained.