Disabled man, 82, dies in fall at airport

A DISABLED holidaymaker died in a fall at Gatwick airport after reportedly getting fed up with waiting for an assistance worker to help him off his plane.

The 82-year-old’s wife, also disabled, had disembarked separately with the helper and after making his way to the terminal unaided he fell on an escalator, a source told The Sun.

He ‘must not have wanted to wait for the staff member to come back’, the source added. Gatwick denied that staff shortages at Wilson James, the firm contracted to help such passengers at the airport, were to blame.

The man and his wife were two of three passengers on the flight who needed assistance and it was ‘normal’ for them to be helped ‘one at a time’, a spokesman said.

EasyJet confirmed the death on Wednesday, adding members of its staff helped the unnamed man while waiting for paramedics.