Mr Brown said the incident has left him afraid to leave the house

Dave Brown, 58, from Middlesbrough, said he lives in fear of being ridiculed after being told he could not fly by Thomas Cook Airlines.

He said the company had refused to apologise for the incident last year.

Thomas Cook, which offered Mr Brown a full refund, said it acted for safety reasons. The case is due to be heard at Teesside Court Centre on 24 May.

If they'd just apologise it would be alright, but nobody seems to be bothered Dave Brown

The 58-year-old said he had contacted operator Thomas Cook three times ahead of the Newcastle to Turkey flight, and was told there would not be a problem.

But problems arose once he boarded the plane, when the crew realised that the aircraft's special medical seats were not adequate.

Mr Brown, who booked the holiday to Turkey for his wife Margaret, claims the incident has "knocked him for six" and left him a virtual recluse.

He said: "All I've ever wanted is a letter saying sorry and that's something they've never done, so we've decided to take them to a small claims court.

'Passenger safety'

"All I do now is sit and watch the telly. I should have gone to my sister's funeral but I couldn't get down there because I'm afraid of people looking at me.

"If they'd just apologise it would be alright, but nobody seems to be bothered. We have been treated like just another statistic."

In a statement, Thomas Cook Airlines said: "Once on the aircraft, our crew realised additional space was required but were unable to seat Mr Brown in a comfortable manner to comply with safety requirements for taxi, take-off and in-flight.

"We would like to highlight that at all times we acted purely for his and the other passengers' safety and comfort.

"We cannot comment any further at this time as we do not want to jeopardise the court case."