Ryanair wheelchair passenger forced to crawl off plane - 'It's unacceptable!'
A Ryanair passenger was unable to get off the flight with assistance
PA/Adrian Keogh
A Ryanair wheelchair passenger was left feeling "humiliated" after being forced to crawl off a plane.
Adrian Keogh, from Wicklow on the east coast of Ireland, left with little choice but to slide down the metal steps to get out of the aircraft after no one from the airport or airline was on hand to help him disembark.
The incident happened on Saturday night at 11pm at Landvetter airport in Sweden.
Keogh expressed his anger at the situation on social media after being subjected to the ordeal.
Adrian Keogh was forced to slide down the steps
Adrian Keogh
Sharing an image of his attempts to slide down the steps, he wrote: "Please excuse the bad picture but this is a photo of myself having to crawl of a Ryanair flight which landed in Landvetter Airport tonight at 11pm.
"I am, as some may know, a full time wheelchair user and paid extra for special assistance to be lifted off the plane down to my wheelchair."
Keogh, who has a spinal injury after a construction accident in 2015, was watched by cabin crew as he tried to remove himself from the plane.
The 37-year-old had been told upon arrival at the airport that it would take at least an hour for the lift that would allow him tone removed from the aircraft in a wheelchair to arrive.
Writing on Instagram, he added: "It's unacceptable to expect me to crawl down the steep metal steps but on arrival I was informed that it would be at least one hour before they would have the lift available to help me off the plane so what option had I but to crawl off the plane?
"The Landvetter authorities blamed Ryanair and Ryanair blamed Landvetter. They especially didn't want us taking the picture.
"I am not looking for anything only the service I paid for and to be able to travel with dignity.
"I ask you to share this as much as you can to highlight the struggle wheelchair bound people have to deal with."
In a social media post of their own, Landvetter Airport apologised to Keogh.
It said that busy flight traffic and a medical emergency had delayed the the it took for assistance to arrive.
Ryanair said that is was investigating the matter.
It added that its special assistance at Landvetter Airport was provided by a third-party service provider.