Flights cancelled for thousands after airline suspended
Thousands of passengers are facing disruption to their travel plans after regulators suspended a major air route between Birmingham and India.
The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said Turkmenistan Airlines flights from Birmingham and Heathrow to Amritsar, and Heathrow to New Delhi – which fly via Ashgabat, Turkmenistan – had been suspended.
The CAA acted after the European Aviation Safety Agency suspended permission for it to fly in the EU.
A statement on the Foreign Office website said: “The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has suspended Turkmenistan Airlines flights to and from the EU pending confirmation that it meets international air safety standards.
“This means that Turkmenistan Airlines flights between the UK (London Heathrow and Birmingham) and Turkmenistan (Ashgabat), do not have permission to travel to and from the UK. Affected passengers are advised to contact Turkmenistan Airlines to seek advice.”
A statement on the CAA website said Turkmenistan Airlines is “not covered by the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) ATOL protection scheme”.
It advised passengers: “If you booked directly with Turkmenistan Airlines and paid by credit card you may be protected under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and should contact your card issuer for further information. Similarly, if you paid by debit or charge card you should contact your card issuer for advice as you may be able to make a claim under their charge back rules.
“If you purchased travel insurance that may include cover for scheduled airline failure, known as SAFI, you should contact your insurer. If you did not book directly with Turkmenistan Airlines and purchased your tickets through an intermediary, you should contact your booking or travel agent in the first instance.”
