29 October 2024 | 11:39

Court orders Air Astana to compensate family after 12-year-old denied boarding

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Tengrinews.kz - The story of a 12-year-old girl from Uralsk who was left alone at the Astana airport after being denied boarding has taken a new turn. The news was reported by the family’s lawyer, Danilkhan Shagatayev.

Tengrinews.kz - The story of a 12-year-old girl from Uralsk who was left alone at the Astana airport after being denied boarding has taken a new turn. The news was reported by the family’s lawyer, Danilkhan Shagatayev.

According to Shagatayev, the family won a compensation case after a legal battle.

"The court ordered Air Astana to pay five million tenge in moral compensation to Zere’s mother (the 12-year-old girl)," the lawyer wrote on his Telegram channel.

He recalled that on July 21, 2024, Zere was denied boarding on the Astana-Uralsk flight. She was supposed to fly with her twin sister to rejoin their parents at home.

"A FlyArystan ground service employee testified in court that the airline had replaced a 188-seat aircraft with a 180-seat one. As a result, Zere became the 181st and only passenger unable to board. Passengers who had missed flights on the 19th and 20th were given seats on Zere's flight, effectively making her give up her place to adult passengers who had also previously missed their flights," the lawyer explained.

As a result, the girl was left at the Astana airport.

"The airline offered to place the child alone in a hotel, but the mother refused because the girl could not stay there without adults. Later, a relative arrived, but she was denied hotel accommodation because she was not a passenger. In court, the airline explained that, according to their policy, only passengers can stay for free," the lawyer said.

The family, along with their lawyer, proved the fact of overbooking in court.

"At first, our complaint was not taken seriously until the case drew public attention. We decided to push for changes in the protection of the rights of minor passengers, and now the committee is working on amendments," Danilkhan Shagatayev reported.

The lawyer also clarified that the court session was held on October 28, and the airline has the option to file an appeal if it disagrees with the outcome.

"We won the case. The airline can appeal. If they do, we will defend our decision. If they don't, they will pay according to the court's ruling," he added.

Recall that a Kazakh woman named Zhazira shared on her Instagram page that her twin daughters, Zere and Zaure, were returning from the USA with a group and an assigned guardian. They were supposed to transfer in Astana and continue their flight to Uralsk. However, the airline registered Zaure for the flight but not Zere.

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