Recently, Indian travellers had to spend a night at a European airport when their connecting flight from the US to India was cancelled. So, what should a traveller expect these days?
Different countries follow different rules for passengers transiting through their airports. Take, for instance, the UK, which possibly has the most complicated visa system.
It requires passengers from some countries — including those from India transiting through its airports on connecting flights to Europe and the Caribbean — to have an Air Side Transit Visa (ASTV), which has to be issued in the country of origin. If a passenger comes under this category, he needs an ASTV irrespective of whether he is entering the UK or just connecting from one flight to another without leaving the airport.
The idea is to prevent asylum seekers from entering the country. You don’t need ASTV — or any other UK visa — if you are connecting to either the US or Canada through a British airport without a break in journey. This essentially means that you do not leave the airport between flights.
20/11/13 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
Different countries follow different rules for passengers transiting through their airports. Take, for instance, the UK, which possibly has the most complicated visa system.
It requires passengers from some countries — including those from India transiting through its airports on connecting flights to Europe and the Caribbean — to have an Air Side Transit Visa (ASTV), which has to be issued in the country of origin. If a passenger comes under this category, he needs an ASTV irrespective of whether he is entering the UK or just connecting from one flight to another without leaving the airport.
The idea is to prevent asylum seekers from entering the country. You don’t need ASTV — or any other UK visa — if you are connecting to either the US or Canada through a British airport without a break in journey. This essentially means that you do not leave the airport between flights.
20/11/13 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line
