Abu Dhabi: The journeys of many people, including Malayalees, who arrive at airports without realizing their passports have expired, have been halted on numerous occasions. Those who paid five to ten times the usual ticket prices due to the summer holiday rush have had their trips cut short upon arrival at the airport. They only discover their mistake when officials at the check-in and immigration counters point it out. Since they learn this just two or three hours before departure, their journeys have to be cancelled, and the flight ticket fare is non-refundable, resulting in significant financial losses.
Families lose lakhs of rupees
There have also been cases where families travelling home have been interrupted because a child's passport has expired. Many have lost lakhs of rupees in this manner. For instance, Karim, a native of Puythingadi in Kannur, learned that his second daughter's passport had expired only when officials at the airport informed him. He sent his wife and other children home while keeping his 14-year-old daughter back in Abu Dhabi. He obtained a new passport and brought his daughter home within three days, incurring substantial costs for flight tickets due to the busy travel season.
Social activist B.C. Abubakar noted that some people arrive at the airport only to discover that their visas for adults and children have expired. Many manage to return home later by quickly obtaining a passport through the intervention of the Indian embassy and purchasing new flight tickets. Families suffer huge financial burdens due to carelessness and are urged to check the validity of their passports before purchasing tickets.
The cost of carelessness
Razina, a native of Punnayurkulam in Thrissur, and her children Muhammad Ishan Naufal and Zia Nafreen discovered their passports were lost only the day before their trip. Since they cancelled their flight tickets immediately, they avoided substantial financial loss. They are now attempting to recover their lost passports. Razina, who works in Abu Dhabi, filed a complaint in Dubai where she believes they lost the passports. She visited offices such as immigration, the police station, and the Indian embassy in her attempt to get back the passports. The recovery process was expedited after she explained her problem to a senior officer, who was a native woman. Razina stated that with the help of social activist B.C. Abubakar, the procedures at the Indian Embassy were also completed quickly.
