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Emirates staff forced a disabled teenager and his family to leave a plane because he was suffering from epilepsy, despite the fact that he had a medical certificate and authorization flight.
Eli, the son of Euronews reporter Isabelle Kumar, embarked Wednesday aboard a flight from Dubai to France – the last leg of a long-haul trip from New Zealand via Australia. But when Kumar asked for a seat next to a vacant seat in case he had a seizure, they asked to see his medical certificate.
The family presented the certificate to the flight attendants, who said it was to be shown to the ground staff. When the family called Eli's doctor in France to confirm that he was able to steal, they refused to talk to the health care professional.
Kumar told Euronews: "We told Emirates at every step that Eli was suffering from epilepsy (and autism), but when we asked for a seat with a vacant seat next door, at when he would have a seizure, they suddenly wanted to see the medical certificate. "
The defendants then threatened to call the police if the family did not leave the plane, Kumar said.
"It was the lack of humanity that we found really shocking.The staff was facing a severely disabled child, but they threatened to call the police if we did not leave, even though our Luggage was still in the plane, "Kumar said.
The family disembarked from the plane and the ground staff acknowledged that Eli had the right to fly, but would not let them get back on board, she said.
Kumar said that the incident had distraught his children.
"Eli is very upset, he does not understand what is happening … My twins were in tears, they felt humiliated," she said
After hours of confusion at the airport, Kumar A solution was found with the airline so that the family could take the plane to Geneva on Thursday
. The incident left them "demoralized and exhausted," Kumar said.
"You face endless challenges in having a disabled child, and being treated with respect would help, but we never give up and that will not prevent us from traveling with family. Tanni Gray-Thompson, who won 11 Paralympic gold medals from 1992 to 2004, said she was "extremely disappointed" by the way Emirates seemed to handle the situation. .
Although medical certificates were necessary in "very limited circumstances", it was absurd to ignore a certificate once produced.
"This incident raises more questions, in which evaluation process did the staff member make this decision?" What rebadures the pbadengers that they are reserving with an airline, they will be able to fly? "Instead of encouraging transparency, it may encourage people to be less open," she said.
Travel was becoming more and more difficult for people with disabilities in many circumstances, "she added." I am really concerned that issues like this may encourage airlines to require increased medical certification, or that airlines do not let disabled people fly alone, "said Gray-Thompson, worried to learn that Eli Kumar, who is suffering from epilepsy and autism, has been withdrawn from a medical facility. Emirates flight, despite medical clearance to fly After such a painful situation for Eli, we hope that the whole family returns home safely. "
An Emirates spokesman said the airline was "very sorry for the distress and inconvenience to Ms. Kumar and her family".
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"Such situations are generally difficult to badess for operational personnel, and they have chosen to act in the best interest of the safety of our pbadengers as well as on the advice of our medical team," have- they say. contact with the family, and we offered them a stay at the hotel in transit and we relocated them on another flight starting July 26th. "
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