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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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A disabled Northern Ireland politician was left frustrated after his plane took off without him, because there was no lift ready to assist him onto the aircraft in Birmingham Airport.
Andy Allen, an Ulster Unionist Party MLA who uses a wheelchair, revealed to BBC News that he was due to get on an Aer Lingus flight to Belfast City Airport on Sunday, but was not able to board.
Allen, a former soldier, was 19 when he was injured by a bomb while on patrol in Afghanistan in 2008. He was later awarded an MBE.
Allen revealed that he sat on the tarmac ready to depart, and was later informed that there was a request for his luggage to be taken off the plane and that the plane was leaving without him.
He was then brought back into the terminal, and told that he had been booked into a flight today.
Allen took to social media to voice his concerns, slamming the series of events as a 'shambles'.
What a shambles, @bhx_official. I arrived on time, but because I'm disabled and needed assistance to board, which never came, I was removed from the flight. Thanks for that, @AerLingus.
— Andy Allen MBE MLA (@AndyAllen88) September 22, 2024
The airport apologised for the inconvenience and said the issue was due to "technical issues" and the matter would be fully investigated.
Aer Lingus also apologised to Allen, and said it was "committed to doing all we can to assist all customers who require additional support".
The airline said a full investigation has been launched.
Allen said he wanted to speak out to highlight issues in travel for disabled customers and said it must be improved.
"In society as a whole there are things that need to be improved for disabled people, to ensure disabled people can play a full part in society and we aren't prevented from being able to do so - whether that is accessing a building, going up in a lift or evacuating a building in a safe way," he told the BBC.
"It's devastating," Mr Allen said.
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