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Tengrinews.kz – An Air Astana flight from Istanbul to Almaty was delayed for several hours after passengers agreed to carry multiple pieces of luggage for a woman at boarding.
According to a Kazakh passenger who shared the story on social media, the incident occurred on flight KC912, scheduled to depart Istanbul at 21:55. She described how an elderly woman in a headscarf, accompanied by two young girls, asked fellow travelers to help her with bags.
"She kept insisting, asking everyone for help. Many agreed, but I felt something was off and declined. It turned out she had more than 20 pieces of baggage," the passenger wrote.
As a result, all passengers and crew were temporarily removed from the aircraft while security carried out a full inspection. The delay lasted more than three hours before everyone was allowed back on board and the flight continued.
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Air Astana confirmed the incident, saying five pieces of hand luggage belonging to disembarked passengers had been taken on board by others.
"In accordance with international safety requirements, all passengers and crew were removed for screening. After confirming there was no threat, the flight resumed," the airline’s press service said.
The carrier reminded travelers never to accept luggage from strangers.
Such requests are not uncommon in airports, where travelers are sometimes asked to deliver bags or parcels. However, experts warn that agreeing to do so can be risky. In a recent case, a passenger in Astana agreed to deliver a package containing a watch, only to discover it had disappeared before boarding — leaving them to cover the loss.
