Shikhar Dhawan on Friday slammed Emirates for unprofessional conduct after his wife and kids were stopped at Dubai airport from boarding a connecting flight to Cape Town, a claim denied by the airline.
Dhawan vented his ire on social media after reaching South Africa without his family. His wife and son were stopped at Dubai airport, from where the Indian team took the connecting flight to Cape Town, where the first Test will be played from January 5.
Dhawan said that his family was asked to show birth certificates and some other documents as identification proofs, which they weren't carrying.
"Absolutely unprofessional from Emirates. I was on my way 2 SA with my family & was told that my wife and kids can't board the flight from Dubai to SA. I was asked to produce birth certificates & other documents for my kids at the airport which we obviously didn't have at that moment," Dhawan wrote on his Twitter handle.
"They are now at Dubai airport waiting for the documents to arrive. Why didn't @emirates notify about such a situation when we were boarding the plane from Mumbai? One of the emirates' employee was being rude for no reason at all," the Indian opener said in another tweet.
However, a spokesperson from the airline said they were just following the rules.
"We note that the family was not able to continue their journey together as planned. We regret any inconvenience caused," the spokersperson said in a statement.
"However, since 1 June 2015, according to South African regulations, anyone travelling to the country with a minor under 18 needs to prove parenthood or guardianship – while adults travelling alone with their children need to show that they have the consent of their non-travelling partner.
"Like all airlines, we must comply with the laws of every country in which we operate and this is a shared responsibility with passengers, who are required to hold valid travel documents for all countries on their itinerary," the spokesperson added.
India, including newly-married skipper Virat Kohli, checked into their hotel in Cape Town on Thursday night.
India will play three Tests, six one-dayers and three T20Is during the 56-day-long tour.
