Stranded Canadians ask for help after Air India rejects 150 passengers trying to come home

Sonal Sharma doesn't want to spend the summer in India.

The Delta mom and her five-year-old son Jiyansh were scheduled to fly Air India from New Delhi to Tokyo, where they would transfer and board a flight bound for Vancouver.

It was a plan three months in the making, as Sharma and her family struggled to secure flights amidst India's ongoing COVID-19 response, which has included a strict, countrywide lockdown, including a halt on international commercial flights.

But when she arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport for her repatriation flight, Sharma says Air India staff refused to let them board the plane.

And she wasn't alone.

"Just completely distressed people" said Sharma, 33. "There was sounds of screaming. Kids were screaming. One of the elderlies fainted. Everybody [was] shocked."

Sharma says up to 150 Canadians — including citizens and permanent residents — were denied boarding last minute, because Air India staff apparently misunderstood international COVID-19 guidelines. She and others are now renewing calls for Ottawa to step in and work with airlines to repatriate Canadians stranded in India due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There are thousands of us who are stranded here" said Sharma. "Canadian government please wake up. Please listen to our calls."

Denied boarding

According to Sharma, the decision to deny boarding was initially blamed on the Canadian Embassy. She says Air India staff told passengers they weren't allowed to fly, because their names weren't on an embassy list.

Sharma, who is registered with Global Affairs Canada's Registration of Canadians Abroad in India program, told staff she had no idea how to get the permissions they were asking for.

"Air India didn't co-operate with us," she said. "No one was able to answer any of the questions."

Gina Takhar, who created the volunteer group Bring Back Canadians Home to help those stuck in India, says that isn't the rule.

"The Canadian High Commission has made it very clear that they're not involved in any of these repatriation flights" she said. "They do not provide a list to the airlines."

Takhar says she sent documents to Sharma reflecting this, only to have Air India inform passengers that they could be turned away if they tried to transfer in Japan.

"Air India said, OK well, even if we let you board, Japan has an entry ban on Canadian nationals. So you will get deported back to India."

Passengers were also warned they could be held responsible for any fines or penalties.

But Takhar says Air India was misinformed.

"That entry ban is only applicable if you are setting foot out of the airport and going to be staying in Japan" she said. "You're allowed to transit through".

More than 15,000 already repatriated

In an email, Global Affairs Canada did confirm that Sunday's flight was "not run under the auspices of the High Commission of Canada in India" and that passengers do not require any authorization to take relief flights.

Takhar, with the volunteer group Bring Back Canadians Home, says that even though she tried to clarify the rules, passengers wanted government assurances they would not be deported back to India.

"They asked them [Canadian government] to send them an email saying that they could travel," she said. "Nothing was given to them."

To date, Global Affairs Canada says 92 flights have returned from India, bringing over 15,000 citizens and permanent residents home.

CBC did attempt to reach the federal foreign affairs minister but was told he was unavailable for comment.

Air India did not respond to requests for comment.

Sharma, meanwhile, says the company told her they would refund the price of her flight, but it hasn't happened yet.

With temperatures in New Delhi hovering above 40 C, she's not sure what comes next.

"I'm just hoping it will get better" she said. "I don't know when, but I'm just hoping".