Brexit repercussions: Indians are unable to fly on EU carriers to the UK without a transit Schengen
DELHI, NEW DELHI: The resumption of regular international flights has resulted in the emergence of a new phenomenon. Indians attempting to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) on European Union (EU) carriers such as Lufthansa, Air France, and KLM via their hubs in Frankfurt/Munich, Paris, and Amsterdam, respectively, are being denied boarding at the origin in India if they do not have a transit/regular Schengen visa. Reason: According to top airline officials, the EU has decided to "punish" the UK after Brexit by requiring non-EU citizens to have a transit Schengen visa in order to fly to the UK on transit flights operated by its carriers. Surprisingly, Switzerland, which is not a member of the EU, is exempt from this rule for its airline Swiss. People flying from India to the UK on one-stop flights can do so through places like the Gulf and Switzerland without needing a transit visa. The other option is to fly nonstop with Air India, Vistara, British Airways, or Virgin At...