Indian passengers complain of discrimination at Paris airport

Mumbai, May 29 (PTI) A fortnight after over 50 Indian
passengers alleged they were victims of racial profiling while
flying Air France, ten Indians, travelling by the same
airline, met a similar fate when they were stranded for an
entire night in a Paris airport lounge.

The Indians, flying to Mumbai from Washington via Paris,
complained that they were confined to the lounge on Monday
with just some water and a sandwich after their plane reached
Paris late from Washington and they could not board the
connecting flight to Mumbai.

The passengers of the flight AF025 alleged that while
they had to remain at the airport, people with American
passports were given transit visas, provided accomodation and
taken care of.

Complaining of discrimination and insensitivity towards
them, a passenger Gwyneth Alphonso said, "We were not put on
the immediate connecting flight on the same day. We were told
that we have to just adjust within the environment. (Those)
who held American passports were given visas and accomodation
and were taken care of. But we who had Indian passports were
the only ones to be denied any kind of help at that place".

The passengers said the airline extended an apology to
the passengers through an SMS.

Over 50 Indian passengers had on May 12 accused Air
France of 'racial' profiling at Paris airport where they were
stuck while in transit after their aircraft developed a
technical problem, a charge denied by the airline.

The passengers said their plane had left Washington
three hours behind schedule due to a technical problem and
that they had barely 20 minutes in hand after arrival in Paris
to take their connecting flight to Mumbai. They said they just
could not make it to the contecting flight.

Another passenger Jagdish Patankar, who had to spent the
night in the 'sanitised' area at the airport, said, "It shows
total insensitivity towards the incidence. For six hours, we
were in that area. We were provided with water, were not
provided with juice or food or anything. We were all there
just stranded."

The passengers said they were finally put on a flight
to Mumbai after they protested. PTI ANU
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