IANS
New Delhi

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 September 15, her family claimed.
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, said: “No ambulance came to the site for 29 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 Finnair e-mail, 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.”
Recalling the incident Vidya said: “My mother hit the ground with her face down. Three of her teeth fell out and one tooth broke within from the impact. There was a hairline fracture in the lower jaw. Her right shoulder also bore the brunt of the fall.”
Vidya, who was returning to New Delhi from London after finishing her Master’s in law, said the Finnair crew kept telling them that an ambulance would reach “soon” -  in 15 minutes, in 10 minutes, in five more minutes.
“We were later taken to a Helsinki hospital where a doctor stitched the gash under my mom’s lower lip and declared she had no visible neurological problems. She was also bandaged and given medicines,” Vidya said.
“We were then driven back to the airport. Though my mother was in pain and shock, we decided to board the flight bound for Delhi (AY 21) so that we could provide her the best medical attention in Delhi,” she said, adding with a degree of anguish and pain: “Notably, no one from Finnair bothered to accompany us to the hospital.”
Vidya said she felt angry over the system that Finnair and Helsinki Airport followed — or the lack of it.
“I have nothing against Finland and its people. As individuals, some Finns were very nice when the accident occurred. India is a growing economy, and airlines around the world see Indians as a big market. Would you like to patronise an airline which took half an hour to attend to my mother?” she said.
Finnair went on to add that the legislations related to airline’s responsibility and role in such cases varies from one country to another and in the extant case, the airline acted in line with the Finnish legislation related to receiving medical information.