‘No plans’ to stop Afrikaans quiz, says Ryanair
Irish budget airline Ryanair has no plans to put a stop to its requirement for travellers from South African to fill out a questionnaire in Afrikaans to prove their nationality.
The airline has come under fire for a general language quiz written in Afrikaans and not any of South Africa’s other official languages.
Passengers travelling to and from London in the UK are expected to complete the quiz, which includes naming any South African national holiday, the country’s president, and the national colours.
In a statement to Jacaranda FM News on Thursday, the airline said the questionnaire was meant to prevent people from travelling on fraudulent documents.
“The South African Govt has already warned passengers (and airlines) of the risk of syndicates selling fake SA passports, which has substantially increased cases of fraudulent South African passports being used to enter the UK. In order to minimise the risk of fake passport usage, Ryanair requires passengers on a South African passport to fill out a simple questionnaire in the Afrikaans language,” it said.
Passengers who are not able to complete the questionnaire will not be allowed to travel.
“If they are unable to complete this questionnaire, they will be refused travel and issued with a full refund instead.
Airlines operating to the UK face Home Office fines of £2,000 per passenger for anyone who travel illegally to the UK on a fraudulent passport/visa. This is why Ryanair must ensure that all passengers (especially South African citizens) travel on a valid SA passport/visa as required by UK Immigration,” the airline added.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) is investigating the matter.
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