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New Delhi: A family was allegedly denied boarding at the Bengaluru airport, despite holding valid tickets. The incident was from June 2024, when the family, led by a Salem-based medical institution chairman, JS Sathishkumar, was travelling from Bengaluru to Peru.

The family of eight had valid tickets worth Rs 49 lakh, non-refundable business class tickets. They reached the airport well before the boarding time but were stopped from boarding shortly before departure.

A court in Karnataka has ordered an FIR against senior officials of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines by the civil judge and judicial magistrate in Devanahalli, under whose jurisdiction Kempegowda International Airport falls.

The complaint was already filed by Satishkumar after his family was denied boarding due to confusion around their visas. According to the New Indian Express, a court in Karnataka has directed the police to register an FIR against senior executives, including its CEO and COO.

The family was travelling from Bengaluru to Peru from June 19, 2024, and also planned to return to India on July 3, 2024.

Visa confusion at the Kempegowda International Airport

The family was waiting at the check-in counter before they were informed that they would not be allowed to board the flight.

An airline staff member cited the absence of a Peruvian visa as the reason for denying the family to board. Satishumar alleged that the airline failed to correctly interpret Peru’s arrival requirements.

He clarified that Indian passport holders who possess valid visas or residence permits from the United States, the UK, Australia, or within the Schengen area are eligible to enter Peru without a Peruvian visa.

Satishkumar said his son was stopped in Singapore and questioned about a supposed deportation from Peru, a country he had never visited.

The family was allegedly red-flagged by the airline after they protested to take legal action against it.