Summary
- IndiGo was fined by US Customs and Border Protection for late payment of the immigration user fee.
- The airline revealed this information in a recent regulatory filing.
- IndiGo offers flight options to the US and Europe through its partnership with Turkish Airlines.
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, has been penalized by the United States Customs and Border Protection for a delayed payment. While the airline does not offer flights of its own to the US, it does so through a codeshare deal with Turkish Airlines.
IndiGo fined by US Customs and Border Protection
In a regulatory filing, IndiGo revealed that US Customs and Border Protection had fined the carrier $5832.60 because of a payment delay related to an immigration user fee.
According to IndiGo’s filing, the fine was for a late payment of a non-interlineable tax. The carrier has stated that this does not impact its operations or financials. Business Standard quotes the airline as saying,
“The authority has imposed a penalty for the payment of the immigration user fee after the due date (non-interlineable tax). The company is exploring the possibility of a waiver of the penalty.”
Photo: BoeingMan777 | Shutterstock
The exact details of the case are unavailable, but US Customs and Border Protection does fine airlines in some cases. For example, the Federal Registrar states that if an airline carries a passenger to the United States who does not have a valid passport or visa, “it is subject to a fine for each alien transported lacking the required documentation.”
However, a carrier is allowed to apply for a reduction, refund, or waiver of the fine if there is evidence that it properly screened all the passengers. Simple Flying has contacted IndiGo for details particular to its case and will update the article if we receive a response.
Codeshare with Turkish Airlines
IndiGo has the largest domestic network among all Indian airlines, and its narrowbody fleet allows it to operate only medium-haul international flights to destinations in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
However, it has codeshare partnerships with several airlines that allow it to offer flight options to its customers to various global destinations. The biggest partnership is with Turkish Airlines, which includes several destinations in Europe as well as five in the United States: New York, Washington, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco.
Photo: EvrenKalinbacak | Shutterstock
Related
San Francisco Now Part Of IndiGo’s US Network Through Turkish Airlines Codeshare
IndiGo now offers connections to five US cities through its partnership with Turkish Airlines.
IndiGo has also received two Boeing 777 aircraft from Turkish Airlines on wet lease that operate exclusively to Istanbul from Delhi and Mumbai. The low-cost carrier will eventually operate a widebody fleet of its own in the future, having ordered 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft earlier this year.
Other IndiGo news
In a separate development, around 200 IndiGo passengers were stranded at Istanbul Airport on July 25 after their flight was delayed by around 12 hours. According to the airline, there was a technical issue with the aircraft.
Photo: MBekir | Shutterstock
Passengers took to social media to share their experience and complain about the facilities provided at the airport while waiting for their flight to Delhi. An IndiGo spokesperson later informed us that the flight eventually took off from Istanbul, adding that the passengers were kept informed of the delay, refreshments were served, and all the necessary arrangements were made at the airport.
