03 March,2011 06:53 AM IST | | Shailesh Bhatia and Rane Ashish
Gujarati businessman was refused boarding pass for a flight to Minsk because the airline allegedly couldn't decipher his sponsorship letter penned in Russian
A planned trip to Minsk was virtually lost in translation for Yogesh Parmar (40), after airline authorities allegedly debarred him from boarding his flight from the Mumbai International Airport late on Tuesday night.
Yogesh Parmar shows a copy of the sponsorship letter at the Mumbai international airport
Parmar, who had booked himself on an Austrian Airlines flight, was refused boarding pass, allegedly because airline officials could not decipher the sponsorship letter, written in a variant of Russian, by the tour operator from Hotel Gronde, where he was supposed to stay, endorsing his stay in the country.
u00a0
International travellers are required to show invitation letters from hotels or other agencies in the country they are visiting for verification purposes.
"I had planned a week long vacation to Minsk to visit friends and meet business associates. But in spite of having a valid visa I was refused permission to board the plane," said Parmar.
A businessman who deals in real estate and computers in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, Parmar flew to the city to catch a connecting flight to Minsk, the capital of and the largest city in the landlocked country of Belarus in Eastern Europe.
Parmar stands to lose almost a lakh rupees spent on the round ticket to Minsk and the two trips he made to Delhi to get the visa, if he is not allowed to take the next flight to Minsk. But, he said, "More than the money, it was the humiliation of not being allowed to fly which is of grave concern to me.
u00a0
I have visited numerous countries like China, Australia, Taiwan, Thailand and Dubai. I never had such problem in the past.
"There should have been at least one official at the airport qualified to read Russian. Or, in this world of technology, they could have scanned a copy of my letter and mailed it to their Russian counterpart for translation before rejecting me," Parmar reasoned.
He added that he has now been entrusted with the responsibility of procuring a translated copy but he is considering going back home, as he could be stranded at the airport until the next flight to Minsk, which is tomorrow morning.
"I have a short-term visa which expires within a week. So it does not make sense to fly now. I am considering returning home and filing complaints with the authorities."
Expert speaks
Nilesh Fruitwala, an expert on international aviation, opined that it is unusual for an airline to refuse boarding pass to a passenger with a valid visa on their passport.
"The possibility that the passenger was offloaded because of overbooking cannot be ruled out some airlines take reservations 20 per cent beyond the capacity for accommodation.
u00a0
The rules are quite simple. If the foreign consulate has granted an visa to an individual to enter their country, the airline should have no issues to provide the seat for transport," Fruitwala said.
Airline speaks
An official from the Austrian Airlines staff at Sahar Airport, who did not wish to be named, said that the passenger was offloaded as per the rules of the airline and the country he planned to visit.
"Parmar could not convince immigration authorities about the purpose of his visit. Initially, he claimed he did not have an invitation letter from Minsk or any accommodation plans. But later he produced a document, which was not valid.
Secondly, he was flying to the country via Vienna, also a European country, another reason for us to doubt his credentials. We are simply following the rulebook and should not be blamed for the incident," she said.
