According to TAAG, the aforementioned passengers, who intended to travel abroad from the 4 de Fevereiro International Airport, in Luanda, only had a "tourist visa" and "without a valid return ticket to their country of residence".
The company did not authorize the boarding of these passengers due to this non-compliance, reads the information note sent this Thursday to Lusa by the Angolan state operator.
TAAG refers that one of the criteria for the boarding of passengers holding a tourist visa, "is that they have a one-way ticket and a return ticket to their country of residence".
The return ticket, notes the air carrier, is only issued to nationals or residents of the country of destination, as well as passengers with a student visa.
"Although the passenger is able to check-in online for their outbound flight, when at the airport (local and destination), there are other control and evaluation steps", the note stresses.
Several passengers have been detained since last Saturday at the 4 de Fevereiro International Airport, in this condition, despite having paid their tickets at the Palmira Viagem Agency, as reported by Novo Jornal.
According to the publication, they will have disbursed millions of kwanzas for the purchase of tickets to travel to Portugal, Brazil and other countries, and admit to having been "victims of fraud" by the travel agency, due to the impediment of the immigration authorities.
TAAG also clarifies that the company's partner travel agencies "are instructed on the need for passengers with a tourist visa to purchase a ticket with a complete itinerary, that is, round trip, thus guaranteeing eligibility for boarding".
The Angolan air carrier also ensures that "it has no direct relationship with the Palmira Viagem agency, and, therefore, has no responsibility or degree of influence over its sales policy to the end customer".
Regarding the passengers' complaints, a source from the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) told Lusa this Thursday that the body is aware of the situation and that it even had direct intervention because the agency "is negotiating with the targets, for not they all have the same situation".
Lusa tried to contact the Palmira travel agency, but without success so far.
