CHENNAI: For J S Sathishkumar, chairman of a Salem-based medical institution, what was meant to be a celebratory trip from Bengaluru to Peru with his extended family turned into a protracted legal battle — one that has now culminated in a court directing the police to register a case against senior executives of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
The order, issued by a civil judge and judicial magistrate in Devanahalli — under whose jurisdiction the Kempegowda International Airport falls — marks a rare instance of criminal proceedings being initiated against top airline officials, including the carrier’s CEO and COO, over an alleged case of boarding denial.
Sathishkumar recalled that his family had booked eight non-refundable business-class tickets, costing roughly Rs 49 lakh, and arrived at the Bengaluru airport well ahead of departure on June 19, 2024. The return ticket was booked for July 3, 2024. After hours of anxious waiting at the check-in counter, the airline staff informed them shortly before departure that they would not be allowed to board.
Airline officials cited the lack of Peruvian visa as the reason. Sathishkumar, however, maintains that this was a misreading of the rules. Indian nationals holding valid visas or residency permits from countries such as the US, UK, Australia or Schengen states are permitted entry into Peru without a separate visa.
What followed, according to the complainant, compounded the ordeal. After protesting the decision and threatening legal action, the family says it was “red-flagged” by the airline — an action that allegedly triggered further travel disruptions. Sathishkumar recounts how his son was later stopped in Singapore and questioned about a supposed deportation from Peru, a country he had never entered.
“I faced the same ordeal,” he says, describing repeated questioning and scrutiny during subsequent travel to Australia. Though he has yet to receive the refund, Sathishkumar says the court’s intervention is about accountability. “Action should be taken. Otherwise, this can happen to anyone,” he says.
When TNIE reached out to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines with a set of queries, it maintained that “it is obliged to comply with all applicable travel regulations,” urging passengers to ensure they carry valid and correct documentation, and that it “regrets that some passengers experienced inconveniences.”