Kazakh airline leaves 12-year-old girl alone at airport
Tengrinews.kz - A Kazakh woman published a post expressing her dissatisfaction with the actions of the low-cost airline FlyArystan. She reported that her 12-year-old daughter was left alone during a transfer in Astana, despite having all the necessary documents
On July 20, 2024, Zere and her twin sister Zaure were traveling from the United States with a group and an assigned guardian, making a transit stop in Astana before their connecting flight to Uralsk. According to Zhazira, while Zaure was successfully checked in, Zere was not. The airline staff assured the guardian that they would handle Zere’s boarding after resolving what they claimed were technical issues. However, the guardian was misled, and Zere was left behind at the airport.
"The staff promised to put my daughter on board after fixing the problems, but they deceived me. The children had everything in order with their documents, but my daughter Zere was left at Astana airport!" she expressed her frustration.
The girl's mother was in Uralsk and tried to resolve the situation remotely. The staff offered to accommodate the child in a hotel until the next flight the next day.
However, the girl could not be registered without a representative, and no one could guarantee safety at the hotel. As a result, the 12-year-old girl was sent home alone, unaccompanied, on another flight the next day.
FlyArystan Airlines has officially apologised to the Kazakh woman and her daughter.
The airline offered a hotel, a 50,000 tenge voucher and a boarding pass for a flight to Uralsk on 22 July after Zere failed to fly on 21 July.
"Mother's friend picked up Zere, and the next day she flew to Uralsk as an unaccompanied minor," the statement notes.
The airline assured that it fully acknowledges its responsibility in this situation.
It is specified that the Civil Aviation Committee (CAA) together with JSC "Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan" will conduct a thorough and comprehensive inspection of the airline.
"All responsible parties will be held accountable," the CAA promised.
Additionaly, on her Instagram page, Zhazira said she received a call from FlyArystan airline.
"They offered an amicable agreement. To pay moral compensation in the amount of 4 million tenge. The management of the company wanted to personally meet with me and apologize. But I refused, I said we will meet in court," she said.
If the woman had accepted the offer, she would have been banned from publicising the incident. However, the woman refused.
Zhazira later refuted the claim that the airline "offered hotel accommodation for Zere and her mother's friend."
"My daughter was offered a hotel room alone, and we were told that they were not allowed to provide accommodation for those who are not flying. I requested that they accommodate both the child and the accompanying adult together, but we were refused. So, the company's information on this matter is incorrect," she said.
According to the mother, she does not want to settle the matter quietly, aiming for the incident to serve as a precedent.
"I don't want children to suffer. Why do other airlines not allow such practices? But ours do? I want to set a precedent that will serve as a lesson," she added.