Air China addresses concerns of the handicapped

Air China said that handicapped passengers can travel in a wheelchair immediately after they check in their crutches, the Beijing Morning Post reported on Wednesday.

The statement came as a reply to complaints by a handicapped Chinese singer who had a dispute with the airline at an airport in East China's Zhejiang province.

Li Chen published a note on his micro blog on Monday, complaining that he argued with employees at Hangzhou's Xiaoshan airport because staff there asked him to check in his metal crutches and told him that a wheelchair could be just sent to the boarding gate, according to the report.

The micro blog note, which sparked heated debate among netizens, was forwarded nearly 6,000 times in a short period of time. Some netizens said that Chinese airlines and airports do not respect handicapped people, the report said.

Employees at the Xiaoshan airport and at the Beijing Capital International Airport said that metal crutches are forbidden on airplanes due to safety regulations, according to the report, adding that only wooden walking sticks are allowed.

Air China and the airports also said that they provide wheelchair services for passengers with previous applications. If people choose the airport's service, the wheelchair can just be sent to the boarding gate, but the airlines can bring handicapped passengers to the cabin, the report said.

A Beijing-based senior officer at Air China, who declined to provide his name, said that some handicapped passengers may not be familiar with airlines' services and regulations, which causes misunderstandings, the report said.

Li has not updated his micro blog and refused to comment after the airline and the airports replied, the report added.