Ilya Azar, a journalist for Novaya Gazeta Europe, was denied entry to a flight from Berlin to Riga due to a mistake from AirBaltic’s representatives at Berlin Airport, the air company says on Twitter.
“This was a mistake from our representatives at Berlin Airport. We are currently reviewing all the circumstances with them in order to understand why the person was not allowed to board,” the Tweet reads.
Answering to Novaya-Europe’s enquiry on the matter, AirBaltic has stated that the verification of visa type is not required upon boarding.
“Russian citizens are not required to provide information about travel conditions, nor are they required to present the type of visa, on flights to Schengen countries. These checks are carried out only on flights that cross the external borders of the Schengen countries,” the air company wrote in a letter.
Ilya Azar was denied entry to a flight from Berlin to Riga yesterday despite having a valid D-type Latvian visa which allows him to enter the country.
“They cited an IATA text which says that Russians are not allowed to enter Latvia, except those having A and C type visas. I told them that it was actually the other way around and they must have made a mistake, but they kept referring to the text and to some boss over the telephone,” Azar said.
In mid-September, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia agreed to restrict the entry of Russians with valid Schengen visas across land borders with Russia and Belarus. An exception was made for truck drivers, diplomats and those entering for family and humanitarian reasons. Finland and Poland have banned entry for Russians with short-term visas.
Starting 25 October, Russian nationals with tourist visas entering Czechia through the external borders of the Schengen zone will also be denied entry.
