Complaint about international transit ground handling at Mumbai Airport on 27 September 2026

I am seeking assistance with a serious concern about the handling of international transit passengers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, on 27 September 2026. I request an investigation into the actions of the ground-handling staff responsible for assisting passengers arriving on Air Tanzania flight TC400 and connecting to international flights.
I have a contemporaneous account of the events, a timestamped WhatsApp call record, and a photograph of email addresses provided to me by one of the ground handlers. I am seeking independent clarification of the applicable procedures and, if possible, access to relevant operational records.
1. My journey and the delayed arrival
I travelled from Zanzibar to Mumbai on Air Tanzania, with a stopover in Dar es Salaam:
• TC137: Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam.
• TC400: Dar es Salaam to Mumbai.
• Scheduled arrival in Mumbai: 04:20 on Sunday 27 September 2026.
• Actual arrival: approximately 07:00.
I had a confirmed onward IndiGo booking from Mumbai to Melbourne via Singapore:
• 6E1011: Mumbai to Singapore, scheduled for 08:55 and subsequently changed to 08:50.
• 6E3985: Singapore to Melbourne.
As I did not hold an Indian visa, I could not independently proceed through Indian immigration. I relied on the ground staff to facilitate the required transit arrangements and assist with obtaining my onward boarding pass.
2. Chronology of the ground-handling process
I was able to disembark by 07:30, after disembarking, I was collected at the aircraft door by ground staff. There were four international transit passengers collected, assisted by two ground staff members.
The four passengers had different onward travel arrangements:
• Another passenger and I were booked on the same IndiGo flight to Singapore.
• One passenger had already missed his flight to Colombo.
• The fourth passenger had a flight scheduled to Kathmandu at 11:00.
Rather than immediately processing our onward boarding passes, the two ground staff spent some time making telephone calls and talking with the passenger who had missed his flight to Colombo urging him to book a new flight. They also waited while the four passengers explained their individual circumstances.
Both the other IndiGo passenger and I became increasingly concerned that this was taking too long, given the imminent closure of the IndiGo check-in desk – (one hour prior to departure) and the imminent departure of our flight. We urged the ground staff to proceed with obtaining our boarding passes, they repeatedly assured us it didn’t matter the time – they can get the boarding pass – “no problem”. They took our telephone numbers and left to attend to the arrangements.
At 08:06 Mumbai time, I received a telephone call from one of the ground handlers. The phone number is +91 74101 36498, name : Shruti Kamble. My WhatsApp call record shows the call at 12:36 Melbourne time, equivalent to 08:06 in Mumbai. The record shows the call lasted five minutes.
The ground handler on the call told me that my boarding pass was ready to collect. She was standing on the other side of a small security-scanning area and wanted me to come and collect it. However, security staff would not allow me to pass through to her.
While we were still on the telephone, the ground handler realised that the boarding pass she had obtained was actually for the passenger travelling to Kathmandu at 11:00, rather than for me. The ground handler and security staff then spent several minutes discussing how the other passenger’s boarding pass could be collected. The Ground handlers eventually passes it to security who passed it to her and the Kathmandu passenger was subsequently allowed through, and the ground handler said she will return to the check-in area to continue trying to obtain my boarding pass.
Approximately ten minutes later, she returned and told me and the other passenger booked on my flight that IndiGo would not issue our boarding passes and that we needed to purchase new tickets immediately.
I explained that I could not afford to purchase another ticket and that the situation was not my fault. The ground handler wrote down two email addresses and told me to contact them. She repeatedly assured me and the other passenger not to worry at all, that Air Tanzania would reimburse us for the missed flight and the replacement ticket, saying words to the effect that this happened all the time and that I would definitely get my money back.
I photographed the email addresses she provided at 08:29, according to my photograph timestamp.
I subsequently purchased the soonest replacement flights to Melbourne. When the ground handler collected my replacement boarding pass, she escorted me to the gate. I asked her several times, in different ways, whether she could provide a letter confirming what had happened and explaining the transit-processing problem. She did not appear to understand my request and continued to direct me to the email addresses she had provided, reiterating that I would receive reimbursement.
I was therefore unable to obtain written confirmation of the events from the ground-handling staff at the airport.
I later sent her a message on the WhatsApp number she called from requesting the same that went unread.
3. Why I am requesting an investigation
I appreciate that Air Tanzania’s flight delay was the initial cause of the disruption. However, I am concerned that the subsequent ground-handling process may have further reduced the opportunity for passengers to make their onward connections.
In particular, I would like to understand:
1. Why four passengers with different onward flight times and destinations were dealt with together, and whether this was consistent with the applicable transit procedures.
2. Whether the time spent discussing the passengers’ circumstances and making telephone calls was necessary before attempting to obtain their boarding passes.
3. Why a boarding pass for the passenger travelling to Kathmandu was initially identified as mine, and what checks were in place to prevent or correct this type of error.
4. What procedures applied to obtaining boarding passes for passengers who could not independently access the check-in area because they did not hold an Indian visa.
5. Whether the ground-handling staff were aware of the imminent IndiGo departure and whether an escalation process was available for passengers at risk of missing their connections.
6. Whether the ground handler’s statements about reimbursement by Air Tanzania reflected an established procedure or policy.
I am not asserting that these events alone establish that ground-handling staff caused me to miss my flight. However, the sequence of events, the apparent boarding-pass mix-up, the time taken, and the absence of written documentation warrant investigation.
4. Financial consequences
As a result of the disruption, I lost the AUD $483 paid for my original IndiGo ticket, for which I received no refund. I was also required to purchase replacement Singapore Airlines flights SQ421 and SQ227 at a cost of AUD $1,918.04.
My total documented financial loss is AUD $2,401.04.
I have submitted a claim to Air Tanzania seeking reimbursement and allowed more than 14 days for a response, but I have not received a substantive reply. Similarly my travel insurance considers I have insufficient evidence for a claim as this process is not familiar to them and I have no documentation proving what occurred.
My request is specifically for assistance in establishing what happened at Mumbai Airport, identifying the responsible ground-handling provider, and clarifying the applicable procedures.
5. Assistance requested
I respectfully request that you:
• Identify the ground-handling company and, if possible, the relevant supervisor responsible for Air Tanzania TC400’s arrival on 27 September 2026.
• Refer this complaint to the appropriate airport authority, airline or ground-handling provider for investigation.
• Ask whether operational records, staff reports, passenger-assistance logs, boarding-pass requests or other relevant records exist and can be preserved or provided.
• Clarify the applicable procedures for international transit passengers without an Indian visa who require assistance obtaining onward boarding passes.
• Advise whether the ground-handling provider’s actions were consistent with the relevant procedures and service standards.
• Provide a complaint reference number and advise me of the appropriate next steps if AirSewa cannot investigate directly.
I can provide my booking confirmations, flight details, WhatsApp call record, photograph of the email addresses, replacement ticket receipt and correspondence with Air Tanzania. I would also appreciate guidance on the appropriate process for obtaining records relating to my own transit and assistance at the airport.
Thank you for your attention. I would appreciate a written response and any assistance you can provide in establishing an accurate record of these events.

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