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."
23/06/20 Ethan Sawyer/CBC.ca
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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."
23/06/20 Ethan Sawyer/CBC.ca
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