BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner has described how he was forced to crawl across the floor of a plane to reach the toilet on a flight from Warsaw to London.

Writing on the BBC website, Gardner, whose legs were paralyzed when he was shot six times by al-Qaeda sympathizers in Saudi Arabia in 2004, said the experience on the LOT Polish Airlines flight was “deeply physically unpleasant and natural too “very unpleasant” “degrading”.

“In this case, having to shuffle across the floor of a plane in my suit in front of other passengers was humiliating,” Gardner said.

“Polish Airlines LOT, which flies to and from Heathrow, said it was not its policy to have aisle chairs on board. This is unacceptable for disabled passengers as these devices are smaller than a stroller and can be easily folded to fit in a closet or overhead bin.”

Gardner said British Airways, EasyJet and every other airline he has flown with recently all had aisle chairs on board.

“It’s 2024, not 1970, and I find it extraordinary that an airline is allowed to fly into and out of UK airports with a policy that effectively says, ‘If you can’t walk, you can’t go to the toilet on board.’ “Airplanes,” he added.

LOT Polish Airlines told the Guardian: “We deeply regret the distressing experience that Mr Frank Gardner had on his last flight with us. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and inconvenience caused by the lack of a wheelchair on board.

“Currently, our Dreamliner aircraft have wheelchairs available on board. However, due to limited space, our short-haul fleet does not yet have this option. We understand the importance of accessibility and are actively testing solutions to equip our short-haul aircraft with on-board wheelchairs in the near future.”

It continued: “As mentioned on our website, we provide on-board wheelchairs on long-haul flights to make it easier for passengers to move around the cabin. In addition, our ground staff are always ready to assist passengers from check-in to boarding and from the aircraft to baggage claim.

“We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to Mr. Gardner and sincerely apologize for the distress this has caused. We are committed to improving our services to ensure that all passengers have a comfortable and dignified travel experience.”

Gardner said the Polish cabin crew on the flight were “fantastic” and “as helpful as possible.”

In 2017, Gardner was left behind on an EasyJet flight when it landed at Gatwick Airport. He was stranded again in 2022 after flying back to the UK with Iberia Express.