Stop Rahul Preet's Deportation

Air Vistara is complicit in the violent deportation of our friend Rahul Preet. Help us hold them accountable and stop Rahul Preet's deportation. Air Vistara and the pilot have the right to refuse to fly.

You can help us by calling and emailing Air Vistara.

1) Emailing

You can use this action tool to email Air Vistara and ask them to refuse to fly our friend.

2) Phone call - call Air Vistara on +44 (0)20 7644 6122 and +91-124-4736181 (calls should still go through even though its an international number) regarding:

  • You have welfare concerns about someone on the 28th July flight from LHR to Delhi at 22.20, they are on the flight against their will.

There are two ways of navigating a call, you can either go in straight with this message:

“Our friend who is here seeking asylum is being deported against his will on 28/07/2023 at 22:20 to Delhi, India. This is unsafe and inhumane and I am worried about his safety. Our friend is at risk of being hurt and persecuted if he is deported. He is still seeking asylum in the country and is very vulnerable with mental health issues. This is wrong and should not be happening and the pilot does not have to fly him on this plane, it is within the airline and pilot’s rights to refuse to fly him on this plane”

OR

You can insist on speaking to senior people (e.g. chief pilot, flight supervisor, anyone with power to stop the flight) out of concern for welfare of the passenger(s) on the flight and not disclose it is regarding a deportation until necessary Things staff might say and how you can respond:

1. “This is a matter for the home office” - Emphasize that the person is seeking asylum and that deportation against a persons will is violent, abusive and oppressive.

2. “There’s nothing we can do” - Emphasize that the person you are talking to has the power to change the situation and does not have to be complicit in the harm of the home office

3. “We are obliged by policy/law/the government/another higher authority to carry deportees.”

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Airlines can refuse to fly any passenger if, for example, they believe they may be dangerous or disruptive – as someone in distress might well be. On the airplane, legally, under the Montreal and Tokyo Conventions, the pilot has the ultimate say.

And management is unlikely to thank staff for neglecting to act on concerns raised before the deportation, if something then goes badly wrong for a passenger or crew member. It is also against international law to return someone to a place where they might suffer inhuman or degrading treatment or cruelty.


Please take action NOW!