KLM APOLOGISES AFTER PARALYMPIAN DENIED WHEELCHAIR ON LONG-HAUL FLIGHT

KLM has issued a formal apology to Paralympic athlete Hannah Babalola after cabin crew refused her access to an onboard aisle chair during a flight from Cape Town to Amsterdam. The flight lasted almost 11 hours. Crew members told Babalola, who is paraplegic and competes in track events for Nigeria, that her two options were to use the toilet without an aisle chair or be removed from the aircraft. Security personnel, called to the aircraft by the crew, declined to take any action against Babalola. Upon landing in Amsterdam, KLM staff requested that police be on standby at the airport, but officers there also declined to act.

The incident occurred on 26 May as Babalola was returning from a wheelchair-racing event in South Africa. She had originally booked the return trip from Chicago to Cape Town via Amsterdam as a wheelchair-using passenger, and the outbound leg passed without incident. Before departure from Cape Town, cabin crew asked whether she would require an aisle chair during the flight, and difficulties began when she confirmed she would. Crew cited the risk of turbulence as their reason for refusing to provide the chair. Prior to the confrontation, crew handed Babalola a written notice headed "Unacceptable conduct and final warning on behalf of the captain of this plane."

Babalola stated she felt compelled to avoid eating or drinking for the entire duration of the flight out of fear she would be unable to access the toilet. She completed her journey to Chicago via a different connecting flight in Amsterdam. An aisle chair is a narrow wheelchair specifically designed for use inside an aircraft cabin. KLM's apology confirms the airline acknowledges the incident took place as Babalola described it.