Dubai: Passengers trying to fly from India to the UAE have been warned against fake chartered flights after a travel agency claimed that it will be operating a ‘special business charter flight’ on July 7. Indian low-cost carrier Go First (also known as GoAir) has issued the warning against the fake chartered flight on Thursday.
In an announcement addressing its travel partners and customers, GoAir stated: “This is to notify that Go First (GoAir India Ltd) has not committed/contracted any charter operations from India to the UAE in the current scenario when clearance from the authorities concerned is still not available.”
The statement added: “Any information circulated by a third party through any means of communication taking Go First or GoAir name should be considered as FAKE, and Go First will not be responsible for any information or related transactions,” it added.
When contacted, Jaleel Khaled, regional head of GoAir, told Gulf News that the warning was issued after the travel agency claimed that it would be contracting a GoAir flight for the chartered service from Kochi to Sharjah. “This is illegal. We have sent a legal notice to them and also issued this announcement so that passengers don’t get duped,” he said. “We will not be answerable if anyone makes payment for the so-called flight as we are not operating any such flight.”
He added that it was advisable for passengers to confirm their eligibility for travel and the approvals for their flights before making any payment to anybody. An advertisement for the flight circulating on WhatsApp about the special business charter quoted ticket prices starting from Dh1,650. It included the air ticket, rapid antigen test, one-night hotel quarantine with meal and airport-to-hotel transfer.
“Passengers must have received two doses of Sinopharm, Pfizer, Sputnik or CoviShield vaccine. Valid UAE resident visa holders can apply,” the advertisement added.
Khaled said the airline had got evidence in which the employees of the travel agency told potential customers that they had tied up with GoAir.
