A SCOTTISH airport has been fined after a man died following a fall from a lift designed to help passengers with disabilities disembark a plane.
James Young, 81, was travelling home from a holiday on the Greek island of Rhodes on November 28, 2023, when he fell around 5ft while being transported on an airport ambulift at Edinburgh Airport.
Young was rushed to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, where he was found to have suffered a punctured lung, spine fractures, a fractured pelvis, and multiple broken ribs which caused his chest wall to become unstable.
Young, from Edinburgh, suffered a heart attack two days later. Clinicians concluded that "the totality of his injuries and medical condition were not survivable".
He died on December 7, 2023.
At a hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Tuesday, Edinburgh Airport Ltd - a private limited company - was prosecuted under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
The airport was fined £80,000, reduced from £120k due to an early guilty plea.
Sheriff Fiona Sharp said the "isolated incident" had been a "tragic accident" and that the ambulift had previously been inspected twice by a third party with no defects found.
She added this it was the first time the company had faced prosecution, and she had been persuaded that "the culpability is low".
An Edinburgh Airport spokesman 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."
