In an incident of alleged racial discrimination, Russia's flag carrier Aeroflot forced five Asian-American passengers to fly to Delhi instead of New York because of their skin colour.
According to Independent report, Aeroflot staff warned the US citizens, all of south Asian descent, they would be “deported” to India if they refused to deplane.
The incident took place on January 7, this year.During a stopover in Moscow, the passengers were left stranded after the connecting flight to JFK International Airport was cancelled due to heavy snow in New York.
The passengers were allegedly told that there were no available seats on alternative flights and they would not be provided with any accommodation in Moscow.
However, they alleged that the white Americans who had been on the same flight were offered alternative connections to the US.
A report said that the Asian American passengers were also denied transit visas, meaning under Russian law they could not leave Sheremetyevo Airport or remain in the country for longer than 24 hours.
According to a formal complaint filed by lawyers acting for the passengers, The Aeroflot employee told the group they instead had to “go back to India” on a later flight or face being forcibly “deported” to India by Russian officials.
The passengers rang the US embassy in Moscow, however, when the official asked to speak with Aeroflot to correct the situation, Aeroflot employees refused to speak with him
According to Little India, Marc Fernandes, Shahana Islam, Sabiha Islam, Bakiul Islam and Anshul Agrawal said in the complaint that they were 'deported' to India despite being American citizens, based on the color of their skin. They have asked for an investigation by the DOT against the airline.
"Because of the lies and racism faced by me, I have lost a week of work (I will not be allowed to to vacation this year) and faced tremendous mental stress. Aeroflot has left me scarred. I have videos and testimonials from passengers to prove these incidents," Agrawal said in a Facebook post.
After arrival in New Delhi, no Aeroflot representative was available to help them either and they were forced to book a flight on Qatar Airways.
