Emirates investigates how woman flew 4,200 miles from Manchester to Delhi on husband's passport

Geeta Modha flew from Manchester to Delhi on the wrong passport

An Emirates Airbus A380

Emirates is investigating how a woman flew 4,200 miles from Manchester to Delhi on her husband’s passport.

Geeta Modha, 55, from Heaton in Stockport, accidentally picked up her partner Dilip’s passport as she departed for a business trip to India on 23 April.

Despite the security breach, Ms Modha’s transfer at Dubai was not affected as she presented an overseas citizenship of India card.

The error was not discovered until Ms Modha touched down in Delhi and tried to complete an immigration form, at which point she was refused entry into India. She was then directed to return to Dubai on the next available flight, where she was stranded overnight while Emirates flew the correct passport out.

The businesswoman, who runs Alankar House bridal shop in Rusholme, Greater Manchester, was required to book another flight to Delhi, costing her valuable time and money.

Ms Modha had arrived at Manchester airport in sufficient time to enable her to return home and collect the correct documentation had the mistake been identified sooner.

The Manchester Evening News reported that Ms Modha’s eventful trip had made her worried that officials were failing to properly check flight documentation: “The fact they say they are so strict on security in airports but you can do this in 2018 is terrible”.

A relative of Ms Modha described the debacle as a “huge inconvenience” to her trip.

An Emirates spokesperson said: “Like all airlines, we work closely with our airport handlers to ensure that all regulations relating to passport checks is taken very seriously. In this instance our usual high standards were not followed and we would like to apologise to Ms Modha.

“The airport handlers ensure that ongoing training is provided to all staff so that they are kept updated with all regulations and security procedures. We are currently investigating how this incident occurred and are working closely with them to ensure that all training materials are properly reviewed and full retraining is provided for the staff involved.”