Edinburgh Airport fined after man dies following fall from plane lift

Edinburgh Airport has been fined £80,000 after a man died following a fall from a lift designed to help passengers with disabilities leave a plane.

James Young, 81, was travelling home from a holiday on the Greek island of Rhodes with his wife when he fell about 5ft while being transported on an airport ambulift.

Mr Young was said to have landed “on his hands and knees” and was rushed to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment following the fall on 28 November 2023.

Edinburgh Airport said it accepted the decision of the court and offered “sincere condolences” to Mr Young’s family.

He suffered a punctured lung, spine fractures and a fractured pelvis as well as a flail chest, where multiple broken ribs cause the chest wall to become unstable and interfere with breathing.

Mr Young, from Edinburgh, suffered a heart attack two days later and clinicians concluded “the totality of his injuries and medical condition were not survivable”.

He died on 7 December 2023.

Edinburgh Airport Ltd, a private limited company, was prosecuted under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 at a hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Tuesday.

Sheriff Fiona Sharp said the “isolated incident” had been “a tragic accident” and noted the ambulift had previously been inspected twice by a third party with no defects found.

Sheriff Sharp said this was the first time the company had faced prosecution and she had been persuaded that “the culpability is low”.

The fine was reduced from £120,000 due to an early guilty plea.

A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said: “We again offer our sincere condolences to the family of Mr Young following the tragic accident at Edinburgh Airport in November 2023.

“We have cooperated fully with the police and regulatory authorities throughout their investigations and we accept the decision of the court.

“The safety of our team and passengers continues to be a fundamental priority for the business.”