Cyprus Airways has been accused of discriminating against a disabled woman at Larnaca airport. According to the complaint, the airline manager did not allow Rafaella Miltiados to board a flight to Athens because she did not have an escort, even though she could simply arrange for her wheelchair to be taken from the door of the aircraft to her seat.
The 30-year-old complained in a post about Cyprus airways violating her right to equal treatment and commented ironically. “A big thank you for forcing me to travel with an escort when I am a perfectly functional person and most importantly for not informing me of this ‘obligation’.”
Ms Miltiades was travelling when fellow passengers offered to register as her “companion” and Cyprus Airways, in a statement, apologised for the incident. In its response statement, the airline said:
“Cyprus Airways, as the Flag Carrier of our island, is committed to transporting all passengers to their destination, however, as an airline, we must comply with and reinforce local, European and global (IATA) regulations. It is frustrating when some of these regulations are not accepted by our passengers, and we always make an extra effort to find solutions. In this case, the passenger in question has been successfully transferred to and from their scheduled destination. We hope all our passengers understand that their collective safety comes first.”
