Five Air India flight attendants were jailed at Zurich airport after arriving without the mandatory Crew Member Certificate. This certificate, issued under International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines, is a visa substitute for many countries.

Over the past week, two separate Air India flights brought in crewmembers – and across the two, five flight flight attendants were affected – four arrived without any CMC while the fifth carried an invalid version of the document, issued under Air Vistara rather than Air India (the two carriers were merged on November 12, 2024).

Until February 5, crewmembers were permitted to secure the needed certificate on arrival for 10 euros. Since then it’s had to already be in their possession on arrival. Flight attendants either didn’t receive an update about this, or at least weren’t issued correct documents ahead of time.

Detention conditions at the airport are surprisingly harsh. Crew were confined in a small cell where movement was severely restricted, phone use was prohibited, and access to food or proper seating was minimal. Detainees were reportedly left without bathroom access, although this is disputed.

Eventually, airline representatives responded and arranged to access to a transit hotel for their crew. As many as four crew members remained in Zurich for nearly two days while the situation was resolved.

In a massive goof up, 5 Air India cabin crew were turned into deportees at Zurich airport because they didn’t have a legal Crew Member Certificate – substitute for visa for crew. They had to stay confined in this cell for the next day’s departure without washroom or toilet… pic.twitter.com/BTw93Twjqi

— Jagriti Chandra (@jagritichandra) February 7, 2025

Minor paperwork issues can create huge travel disruptions. Never rely on assumptions or past practice – always check for upgrades. And don’t rely on your employer’s travel department (especially if the employer is Air India).

(HT: Enilria)