Disabled BBC journalist Frank Gardner accused Heathrow At an airport today, discrimination occurred when passengers had to wait over 90 minutes before being allowed to disembark after the plane touched down.
The BBC News security correspondent has used a wheelchair since 2004 after being paralyzed from six gunshot wounds inflicted by Al Qaeda militants. Saudi Arabia .
The 63-year-old landed from Singapore on a British Airways An aircraft arrived at Heathrow's Terminal Five at 6:45 AM today after a journey of over 13 hours.
However, as the rest of the passengers descended the stairs of the Boeing 777 to board buses headed towards the terminal building, Mr. Gardner had to wait for help to arrive.
The ground crew employed by Heathrow’s contractor Wilson James typically assist passengers who require disability accommodations when aircraft arrive at remote gates using a medical lift. However, most incoming flights connect to the terminal via jet bridges, making such lifts unnecessary for those arrivals.
However, Mr. Gardner had to wait for one hour and 35 minutes after the final passenger departed, as the captain remained committed to staying onboard the aircraft until he could leave.
He shared an image of the airplane’s opened doors on X, commenting: "Frustrated to see that Heathrow Airport seems to be reverting to its past poor practices, with disabled passengers still awaiting a high-lift to exit the plane well after everyone else has disembarked. Other airports handle this just fine. Hey Heathrow, step up your game!"
Gardner added after 20 minutes: "To clarify, this isn’t the airline’s responsibility. The BA staff have been excellent; however, the captain won’t depart until I’m off the aircraft."
However, we have been waiting for over an hour for the high-lift vehicle to arrive, which seems discriminatory towards disabled passengers at Heathrow Airport.
Heathrow subsequently replied, stating: "Good morning Frank. We regret hearing about this situation. Passengers requesting assistance with boarding have been instructed to remain onboard until all other passengers have exited. Should you wish for us to investigate your concerns further, please feel free to send us a direct message."
However, Gardner responded: "You're missing the point. The high lift still hasn't shown up."
Later, when speaking to MailOnline, Gardner commented, "It definitely wasn’t ideal that following a 13 to 14-hour red-eye flight from Singapore – which was for work purposes – I still had to wait an additional 90 minutes before being able to leave the aircraft due to the inability of the airport staff to locate a suitable high-lift vehicle needed to assist me as I use a wheelchair."
I observed the captain repeatedly calling those in charge, only to report that ‘nobody is responding.’ It’s worth noting that this issue does not occur consistently; typically, the ground crew has been quite supportive and polite. However, such incidents should not take place at all in 2025.
'For each individual such as myself who speaks out about this issue, how many others are enduring it silently?'
This boils down to the necessity for improved distribution of resources and enhanced communication between the airport and the ground staff. These issues are quite rare at other airports around the globe where I have traveled.
A representative from Heathrow spoke to MailOnline stating, "We deeply regret the delay that Mr. Gardner encountered. This issue arose because our team had to address a medical emergency, which led to fewer vehicles being accessible at the time. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."
As a token of good will, we have proposed covering the expenses related to the extra wait time for his vehicle. We remain committed to ensuring all travelers have a hassle-free journey when passing through Heathrow.
MailOnline has reached out to Wilson James for their input.
Last October, Mr. Gardner criticized LOT Polish Airlines following his experience of having to "crawl on the floor." To access a plane restroom due to an absence of onboard wheelchairs.
At the time, he described it as 'demeaning' and 'extremely physically uncomfortable,' noting that it was 'embarrassing' to be forced to 'crawl on the floor' wearing his suit during the journey from Warsaw to London.
LOT expressed deep regret over Mr. Gardner's 'unpleasant experience,' stating they were also testing potential solutions to install onboard wheelchairs in their short-haul planes.
And in 2018, Mr. Gardner criticized Heathrow following his extended stay onboard an Ethiopian Airlines plane from Addis Ababa, which lasted almost two hours. since the employees mentioned they couldn't find his wheelchair.
Later, he had a meeting with John Holland-Kaye, who was the chief executive of the airport at that time, to talk about enhancements.
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