SINGAPORE, Feb 6 : An Indian-origin aviation security executive at Singapore’s Changi Airport has been honoured for his outstanding assistance to an 87-year-old passenger from Germany who suffered a fall and dislocated her hip at the busy airport.
Haresh Chandran was conferred the Service Personality of the Year award for 2023 at Changi Airport’s Annual Airport Celebration on Monday.
The accolade comes as a result of Chandran’s outstanding assistance to an octogenarian German passenger who suffered a fall at Changi Airport Terminal 1 on December 22, 2022. Beyond ensuring medical attention for the passenger, Chandran went above and beyond by arranging accommodation for her husband, liaising with the airline to waive rebooking fees, and personally visiting the couple daily during their hospital stay.
Chandran responded to a call that a German passenger had a fall at Changi Airport Terminal 1. As a result, the passenger, who dislocated her hip, and her husband missed their flight back to Germany, and she had to be admitted to hospital.
Chandran promptly arranged for an ambulance to take the passenger to Changi General Hospital and arranged accommodation at a nearby hotel for her husband. He also told the airline about the woman’s circumstances, and the fees to rebook their return flight were waived.
Not wanting the couple to feel alone, Chandran visited them daily, forking out money to travel to the hospital from work and his home at times.
He also celebrated Christmas with them before he started his work shift, as he understood the importance of the occasion to the couple.
“It can be anybody and anywhere. If they ask for help, obviously I will be there to assist them. Because I know – when I had dyslexia – how hard it was. Not everyone believes in you; you’ve got to believe in yourself,” The Straits Times quoted Chandran as saying.
The patient was neither a friend nor a family member, but an airline passenger, said the Singapore daily report on courtesy and supportive efforts made by Chandran for the German couple.
Chandran and 35 other employees working at Changi airport were lauded at the ceremony for extending exceptional services. (PTI)
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