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The South African government was “taken aback” by a language test an Irish airline requires South Africans to take when traveling to the United Kingdom, calling it a “backward profiling system.”
Ryanair, a low-cost airline and Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers, has been forcing travelers with South African passports to take a test in Afrikaans, a language spoken by just 12% of the country’s population, before traveling to the U.K. The airline claims it uses the test to curb the high prevalence of fake South African passports.
“Airlines operating to the U.K. face Home Office fines of £2,000 per passenger for anyone who travels illegally to the U.K. on a fraudulent passport/visa,” Ryanair told the Washington Examiner. “This is why Ryanair must ensure that all passengers (especially South African citizens) travel on a valid SA passport/visa as required by U.K. Immigration.”
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A passenger unable to complete the Afrikaans questionnaire will be refused travel and issued a full refund, the airline said.
South Africa’s local government has measures it regularly shares with airlines to check any fake documents, including the Advanced Passenger Processing system, which allows airlines to screen travelers before they fly. A 24-hour service allowing airlines to authenticate South African passports is also run by the government, the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa told Reuters.
The department is not sure how much Ryanair has used these services “before resorting to this backward profiling system,” it said.
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The U.K. Commission in South Africa has denied that the Afrikaans language test is required for South African passport holders to enter the U.K., according to a post on social media.
https://twitter.com/ukinsouthafrica/status/1532767712015011840?s=20&t=t61iYVKQIjwLN11doL37ag
