"Wizz Air denied an Uzbek student boarding due to a passport marked 'Uzbekistan'."

Another Complaint Against Wizz Air

Sukhrob Ubaidullaev, a student at the Uzbek State University of World Languages, accuses the airline of human rights violations, discrimination, bias, and consumer rights infringement. According to him, Wizz Air staff turned him away at the boarding gate without any explanation.

"They didn't explain anything to me. They just said, 'You'd better fly with another airline, or we will hand you over to the police, you'll be deported, and you'll have serious problems, and your embassy won't help you,'" the student recounted.

The incident occurred at the end of August 2023. Sukhrob was supposed to fly from Rome to Abu Dhabi and then from Abu Dhabi to Samarkand on Wizz Air flights. After being denied boarding in Rome, his second ticket also became invalid. Not knowing what to do, he borrowed money to get to Turkey but found himself in a difficult situation—spending several days in Istanbul without a roof over his head.

"I bought a ticket with a layover in Italy. However, the airline staff discriminated against me. When I was already boarding, a stamp was placed in my passport indicating my exit from the country. But when the airline employee saw my passport, he asked, 'Are you a citizen of Uzbekistan?' and then ordered me to step aside. After that, my ticket was canceled, and I was told that the plane would depart without me. They didn't even look at my visa, tickets, or other documents issued by Germany. They only needed to see 'Uzbekistan' in my passport," Sukhrob explained.

During our conversation, the student also mentioned that he was deceived in Turkey—countrymen who promised to help simply took his money. He didn't want to tell his family about what happened, so he started looking for the cheapest ticket, which turned out to be a flight from Istanbul to Kazan.

"There were no flights to Uzbekistan in the coming days, and I had to stay in Turkey for a week. I had no choice—if I bought a ticket, I wouldn't have money for accommodation, and if I paid for accommodation, I couldn't afford the ticket. I didn't want to worry my relatives. I needed the cheapest ticket, and it turned out to be a flight to Kazan. After arriving there, I spent a day at the airport, then flew to Osh, and from there, I made my way home to the Fergana Valley," the student shared.

Thus, Sukhrob was forced to travel from Rome to Istanbul, then to Kazan, after which he flew to Osh and finally reached Namangan by land. According to him, due to the discriminatory actions of one airline employee, he had to wander through various countries for weeks.

Why did he only report his issue now? According to Sukhrob, he had been trying to seek justice all this time, sending complaints to the airline's website and email, demanding compensation, but all his inquiries went unanswered.

"A month ago, representatives of the airline contacted me, took my personal details and bank card number, promising to pay compensation. However, after that, they just disappeared. I am a citizen of Uzbekistan and demand the respect of my rights. For this reason, I turned to the European court," Sukhrob stated.

Judging by the correspondence provided to Kun.uz, Wizz Air representatives refused to pay compensation.

In one of the letters, the airline confirmed the receipt of the complaint but stated that it did not intend to respond. As a Wizz Air customer, the student was wished "patience." Sukhrob also filed complaints with several European human rights organizations but has so far received refusals to consider his case.

Why are citizens of Uzbekistan increasingly facing problems at airports? Especially on flights to Abu Dhabi, our compatriots regularly encounter difficulties, and tourists undergo hours of checks at the border.

Prepared by Shohrukh Majidzoda.