Rasul Kusherbayev claims unfair treatment on Wizz Air flight, airline places him on blacklist

Former deputy and environmental minister's advisor Rasul Kusherbayev filed a complaint against Wizz Air on the president's portal. During a flight from Samarkand to Abu Dhabi, the crew members explained safety procedures in English to Kusherbayev, who was seated near the emergency exit. When he asked for the explanation in Uzbek or Russian, Kusherbayev was told to leave the plane. The airline stated that such a request was in line with its rules.

Rasul Kusherbayev, an advisor to the Minister of Ecology of Uzbekistan, expressed his dissatisfaction with Wizz Air and revealed that he had submitted his complaint to the president's virtual reception.

In a video posted on YouTube, Kusherbayev mentioned that the crew members asked him to leave the plane after he requested the safety instructions in Uzbek or Russian.

Kun.uz reached out to the airline's customer support service to investigate the matter. The airline representative stated that such a request was not against the rules.

What did Kusherbayev say?

According to Kusherbayev, he flew from Samarkand to Abu Dhabi on November 9. Before the flight, the crew members explained the safety procedures to him because he was seated near the emergency exit. Since Kusherbayev did not understand English, he asked the flight attendant to explain it in Uzbek or Russian. The second crew member informed him that this was not possible and asked him to leave the plane. The details of what happened next remain unclear, but Kusherbayev claimed that he did not escalate the situation.

It is known that airlines usually sell seats near emergency exits at higher prices due to the extra legroom. However, in some cases, such seats may be assigned to passengers who booked them through the airline's online platform or were the last to check in. Different airlines have various approaches to this matter.

Kusherbayev stated that he was unaware of the seating arrangement until boarding, as he did not specifically choose that seat. Initially, the flight attendant explained the safety procedures to everyone, and then provided additional explanations to Kusherbayev in English. After Kusherbayev requested explanations in Uzbek or Russian, he was asked to leave the plane.

When the passenger refused, the crew member informed him that the police in Abu Dhabi would be contacted, which was done once they arrived at the destination. Kusherbayev, in turn, stated that he would contact the Uzbek Embassy. The Abu Dhabi police advised both parties to reach an agreement.

"Wizz Air employees took a picture of my passport and informed me that I would not be able to use the services of the company anymore, and sanctions would be imposed on me," said the former deputy. He considered the airline's actions disrespectful toward the state language in Uzbekistan.

What did the airline say?

Kun.uz attempted to contact Wizz Air representatives for a comment on Kusherbayev’s claims, but it became clear that the airline did not have an office in Tashkent. Representatives from the low-cost carrier only visit the airport when there are flights. On January 6, a flight from Tashkent to Abu Dhabi was scheduled for 10:50 AM local time, and we managed to briefly speak with a company representative responsible for that flight. When we explained the situation, the staff informed us that they could only respond to inquiries related to that specific flight.

Afterward, we contacted the airline's customer support service via chat on the official website.

According to a representative named Maria, passengers who do not speak English are not allowed to sit in seats near the emergency exit. However, seats with more legroom can be sold to non-English-speaking passengers, as it is difficult to determine during the purchasing process whether the customer knows English.

If a passenger did not specifically purchase such a seat, and the seat was assigned for another reason, and the passenger does not speak English, the crew members must move the passenger to another seat. If no other seats are available, the passenger may be prohibited from flying, according to a representative from Wizz Air customer support.

According to Kusherbayev, his complaint submitted to the president's portal is currently being reviewed by the Ministry of Transport.