At the discretion of Turkish Airlines, normal class passengers are stranded in transit and ask for business class money

Kathmandu. The news that Turkish Airlines, which has been operating international flights, has stranded passengers in transit at different times is not a trivial matter. Under various pretexts, the employees of the airlines have not only stranded the passengers, but also demanded more money by taking the passengers traveling in normal seats in transit and traveling in business class seats.

This happened to 9 Spanish passengers coming to Nepal from Barcelona on January 5. Turkish Airlines staffers were rude to Spanish nationals traveling on normal tickets, saying they would be taken to their destination by transit only if they bought a business class ticket. The fraudulent business of Turkish Airlines has become public after 9 passengers who came to Nepal from Barcelona via Istanbul transit were stranded in transit. They allege that the employees of the airline behaved like criminals saying that they did not have a visa to come to Nepal. “It’s up to the immigration department to check and get a visa,” said one passenger.

We were not even given water for 14 hours. We gave water only after we all shouted. They gave us a sandwich for food 18 hours later. We spent one night on the cold floor. Probably no criminal would have to sit on such a cold floor. Said a passenger.

We asked the airline staff why they stopped us, but they never took us seriously. Instead, they laughed and mocked us. No written reply was given. Employees who came said no visa, no flight over and over again. We arrived in Kathmandu Nepal from Istanbul just 3 nights later.

We had to endure not only physical torture but also mental torture. During those three nights, our family members also expressed their concern. Tourists like us who come to visit Nepal got a bad impression in the beginning because of the staff of an airline. However, after landing in Kathmandu, the incident in Istanbul is gradually disappearing from the mind.

They have come to Nepal to visit Annapurna for one and a half to two months. “There is no humanity on the part of Turkish Airlines staff. We have been treated like criminals,” he said in unison.

Spanish nationals visiting Nepal are Maria Magdalena, Villalonga Quintana, Marta Fornes Salva, Maria Ariza Mora, Berta Manuel Sabter, Anna Jutgler Colel, Paula Guerrero Coma, Maria Bille Valls, Ariadna Gratacos Subiron and Mariona Gine Dones.

We came from Barcelona to Istanbul TK 1856. The next flight from Istanbul to Kathmandu was TK 0726, January 6, but we were stopped at the airport for not having a visa, said Maria Magdalena.

Turkish Airlines is not only for foreign passengers. Incidents of similar treatment of many Nepali passengers returning to Nepal from foreign employment are being made public from time to time.

Airlines employees do immigration work, which is legally punishable: Businessman Sherpa

Kami Sherpa, a tourism entrepreneur and managing director of Annapurna Trekking Agency, has objected to Turkish Airlines staffing a Spanish national for three days in Istanbul. Director Sherpa said that the employees of the airline were legally punished for working as immigration staff.

“Passengers in transit are not being questioned by the airline staff about whether they have visas, but by immigration officials,” said Sherpa. They have demanded the government of Nepal to take action against the employees of Turkish Airlines who acted against it.