KEY POINTS
- A 10-year-old was barred from an Emirates flight despite confirmation of a valid UAE visa.
- The family is demanding R200,000 in damages and full refunds for related travel expenses.
- Emirates acknowledges the claim but cites ongoing legal proceedings as reason for silence.
The South African family’s dream trip to the dream trip to the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix became a nightmare after a 10-year-old boy failed to board with Emirates Airlines despite claiming to have a valid visa.
Child banned from boarding even after applying for visa, family says
Lola Clark, a business executive from Cape Town, says Emirates wrongly disembarked her grandson from flight EK 771 on December 4, 2024, even though UAE immigration had confirmed his visa was valid.
The boy, a winning go-kart racer, had been excited to go on the trip to go to F1 Grand Prix with his grandparents and uncle.
Clark said Emirates officials failed to prove the visa was invalid, and after they closed boarding, her Dubai-based agent confirmed that authorities had approved her visa.
Legal action and compensation demands
Clark has advised her legal representative, Trudie Broekmann Attorneys to send a letter of demand to Emirates Airlines for reimbursement of expenses incur and R200 000 for damage suffered through trauma.
The situation according to Clark, compelled her to cancel her and her grandson’s flights, reserve a first class ticket the following day at extra cost of R77,000, and incur further R4,000 on transfers from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. She is also claiming her compensation on unused accommodation and the race ticket.
Saying, “Emirates is not a sovereign state…where it assumes such a role and gets it wrong, it must accept liability”, attorney Gerhard van der Merwe, said Emirates overstepped its role.
Emirates airlines responds
Emirates Airlines responded to the complaint but refused to comment further because of still pending legal proceedings.
We are aware of the incident concerning the offloading of a passenger from EK 771 because of visa related problems, said Rose Leshaba, Account Manager for Emirates’ PR agency. As this affair is still in court, we cannot comment further.
Clark argues that Emirates’ activities contravened protection laws from consumers and caused them emotional hurt and loss of finances. Her attorneys are readying the claim to be escalated.
