Dubai-India Flight Incident: Passengers Mistakenly Taken to Domestic Terminal
While delivering passengers from a Dubai airplane to the local airport in India, a huge security breach was almost prevented.
A significant security breach was narrowly averted in India when passengers from a Dubai flight were mistakenly directed to the domestic terminal instead of going through customs and immigration clearance.
On Monday, passengers aboard an Air Vistara flight bound for Mumbai experienced an error as they were "erroneously" guided to the domestic arrivals area, bypassing the international arrivals section, as confirmed by the airline.
A Dubai resident, who was among the passengers, attributed the incident to human error. According to Vinay RS, "When we arrived at Mumbai, the stairs were offered instead of the aerobridge. Three shuttle buses were deployed, and two of those took us to the domestic arrival gate."
Upon entering the terminal, passengers realized they were at the baggage claim, which raised concerns as luggage is typically retrieved after immigration. Promptly, they alerted the authorities about the mistake.
Efforts were made to rectify the situation by officials, including those from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Air Vistara, in coordination with security agencies and relevant authorities, ensured that passengers were guided back to the international arrivals gate for immigration clearance before proceeding to the baggage belt.
Air Vistara expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to passengers inadvertently, affirming that they are reviewing and strengthening their standard operating procedures to prevent such occurrences in the future.
Despite the incident, Vinay noted that there was no cause for alarm, as airline staff and security personnel promptly addressed the situation. He mentioned that such an occurrence was unprecedented in his experience traveling this route with other airlines, emphasizing the efficient resolution by the involved parties.
