The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called for a fairer division of responsibility and costs between governments and airlines for passengers who are denied entry upon arrival.
Airlines are responsible for helping prevent cases of denied entry by checking travel documents before departure. However, when they do not have all the necessary information, passengers may still be denied entry for reasons beyond an airline’s reasonable control, including sophisticated forgery, changing migration trends, and immigration or security decisions made by national governments.
Under rules established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), airlines are required to bear the costs of custody and care when entry is denied due to inadequate documentation. In other cases, the costs are to be borne by governments.
According to an IATA survey of 49 airlines and 22 border authorities, many airlines said that documentation or procedural errors account for approximately 20% to 30% of denied-entry cases. In addition, 40 of the 49 airlines reported cases in which immigration authorities did not disclose the reason for the denial.
In more than 90% of cases, airlines paid at least part of the costs that should have been borne by governments. The average cost per passenger was about US$4,000 in North Asia and US$14,000 in Europe. In one extreme case, an airline was charged approximately €60,000 in care costs (€300 per day for six months) while a passenger denied entry remained under government custody awaiting assistance from the relevant embassy.
Airlines also reported that denied-entry cases resulted in delays, rebooking, aircraft and crew adjustments, escort arrangements, and lengthy coordination with authorities. All airlines said they had experienced operational delays. Responsibility, services, deadlines for removal, and penalties vary widely by country and may even differ between airports within the same country.
Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety and Security, said: “Even when airlines check documents, some travelers will be denied entry at their destination. The survey showed that airlines often receive bills and fines without an explanation of the reason. We will take responsibility when the error is ours, but we should not be expected to bear such significant and unlimited costs in circumstances entirely beyond our control.”
IATA is calling on governments to distinguish between cases in which airlines failed to exercise due care and those that are beyond their reasonable control; align penalties and cost-sharing with the duty of care, controllability, and reason for refusal; inform airlines of the reasons for denial within legal constraints; strengthen prevention through the use of interactive Advance Passenger Information (iAPI), digital identity verification, and immigration liaison officers; and improve prompt notification and cooperation arrangements when passengers are removed.
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