TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Peach Aviation denied a disabled Taiwanese passenger from boarding a flight at Naha Airport because they could not inspect the wheelchair battery. 

Returning to Taiwan from Okinawa on April 5, the woman, surnamed Lin (林), was denied boarding after staff said they could not visually inspect her wheelchair’s battery, per NHK. Lin’s electric wheelchair had an outer cover that could not be removed. Despite sending wheelchair documentation in advance, she was denied boarding.

Peach Aviation apologized for the inconvenience and paid for Lin’s ticket to board another flight back to Taiwan, per Liberty Times.

Lin has osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), also known as brittle bone disease, which is a lifelong condition where a person’s bones easily fracture. When interviewed by CNA, she said this was the first time she was denied boarding due to her wheelchair battery.

“My wheelchair is my ‘feet,’ and the way this incident was handled shocked me,” Lin said.

For flight safety reasons, Peach Aviation said the company requires not only confirmation of documents but also the ability to visually inspect the battery. The wheelchair confirmation form on the website also states that wheelchairs with batteries that cannot be removed without tools will be refused, the company added.

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism said it will investigate whether the airline has violated the Act on the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities or other regulations.