Consulate General of India
Atlanta
“Alert”
It has come to our notice that a number of Indian passengers are getting stuck at the Istanbul Airport transit area as the airlines are refusing to issue them the onward boarding pass. These passengers despite the travel ban by India and the continued closure of the commercial passenger flights, willingly or unknowingly purchase tickets to travel to India.
Since Turkey has lifted all air travel restrictions since June 2020, flights especially those operated by Turkish Airlines, are plying to Turkey. It has been observed that many passengers buy the tickets to India transiting through Istanbul and other third-country transit points like Doha, Oman, Dubai, etc. Once they reach Istanbul, they are refused the onward boarding pass because of the travel restrictions to India. As a result, they get stuck in the transit area. Within a day or two, their COVID Test validity also expires, which is a prerequisite to boarding in most of the airlines.
It is again reiterated that ‘Commercial air travel is still banned in India. Transit through a third country is not possible for travel to India in a routine manner unless prior approvals are taken from the Government. Travel permissions can be taken only for emergency cases. Routine travel is not permitted.It is advised to avoid travelingbyany airlines transiting through third countries (other than Air bubble or VBM), as you may get stranded in the transit area.
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