AVIATION

1 August 2022: USA

U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin was denied boarding on a flight due to his wheelchair. He was booked on a Lufthansa flight out of Boston but the Lufthansa agents stopped him due to the type of batteries powering it. Langevin, a quadriplegic, serves as a chairman of the House of Representative’s Armed Services committee and was headed out on a flight to Italy as part of his duties to visit military bases. His iBot wheelchair is powered by lithium-ion batteries. “The ticket agent would not allow the chair to travel, saying the lithium-ion batteries weren’t going to be allowed on the plane,” Langevin told NBC 10 News. Lithium-ion batteries have been given green light to fly by FAA and international aviation officials. Langevin said they had checked ahead of time to alert the airline of the wheelchair’s battery and ensure it was allowed.