Singer Zheng Zhihua Photo: VCG

Renowned singer Zheng Zhihua said he will not further pursue the incident at Shenzhen Airport, after receiving an apology from the airport over incident where the wheelchair-bound singer had difficulty boarding his flight. He posted on Weibo on early Sunday morning, saying that he believes it was an isolated case of misconduct by the lift-truck driver rather than a systemic issue with the airport.

"Shenzhen Airport has already apologized to me personally. I will no longer pursue this matter. I believe that this incident is just the personal misconduct of the lift truck driver, rather than the problem of the entire airport," Zheng wrote.

The singer stressed that Shenzhen is a city that he likes, and the people of Shenzhen are also outstanding, adding that he hopes Shenzhen Airport can match the city's overall high standards.

The incident began when the singer complained on Weibo on Saturday about Shenzhen Airport's handling of boarding a flight for people with disabilities. He said the aircraft he was going to board was parked at a remote stand and there was a 25 centimeter gap between the lift truck platform and the aircraft door threshold, which made his wheelchair unable to board the plane. Zheng especially complained about the lift truck driver, who he said was unwilling to adjust the platform in disregard of his safety.

"My wheelchair couldn't be pushed into the plane, and my legs couldn't reach the doorway. What's worse, the driver operating the lift truck completely disregarded my safety and refused to adjust the lift. He just coldly watched me roll and crawl into the plane," Zheng wrote in the first post.

The complaint quickly went viral on social media, with thousands of netizens flooding his comment section and discussing how an airport is supposed to service passengers with disabilities.

Zheng Zhihua contracted poliomyelitis at the age of 2 and has used a wheelchair ever since. He rose to fame for his soulful singing style and hit representative works such as "Sailor" and "Star lighting."

Shenzhen Airport responded quickly to Zheng's complaint, about four hours later. It said it has taken note of the situation Zheng has reported and sincerely apologized for the inconvenience caused at its on-site service.

Near midnight on Saturday, Shenzhen Airport issued a longer statement saying that it has promptly verified the situation with the airline regarding the ground-handling process.

Shenzhen Airport said it had, together with the airline, taken immediate corrective measures to address the shortcomings identified during the boarding process and to further improve service and procedures for passengers using wheelchairs.

Beginning the evening of October 25, flights with passengers who use wheelchairs will be assigned a jet bridge whenever possible. For flights unable to use one, the number of support staff will be increased from one to two. The airport will trial newly developed sloped boarding ramps to bridge height gaps between vehicles, jet bridges, and aircraft doors, to ensure a smoother and safer boarding process.

According to the statement, Zheng departed from Shenzhen in the afternoon of October 25 aboard Shenzhen Airlines flight ZH9073 bound for Taipei. Because jet bridges were fully occupied at the time, the flight was assigned to a remote stand. To assist passengers with mobility difficulties, the airport arranged special boarding vehicles. 

The airport further clarified the situation, and said that during boarding and cargo loading, aircraft can shift vertically. To prevent equipment from scraping the aircraft, safety protocols require the boarding vehicle to maintain a height difference of about 20 centimeters from the aircraft door, causing inconvenience for wheelchair users. With the help of one ground staff member, and one crew member, Zheng eventually boarded the aircraft safely via the boarding vehicle, the statement said.

Global Times