Face of Nation : For the Kassis family, a trip to Italy was so much more than a holiday, they were going to be reunited with relatives they had last seen when they fled war-torn Syria four years ago.
Munzer and Diala Kassis, along with their children Sabin, 14, and Rami, 10, had flown from Melbourne to Dubai with Emirates – snapping selfies along the way.
But just metres from the boarding gate at Dubai airport, airline staff refused to let them board the final leg of their journey to Milan.
“My wife starts crying, my kids too, like, it’s the worst situation I’ve had in my life,”
The Kassis family fled Syria in 2015, with barely their clothes on their backs – let alone passports.
They are now permanent Australian residents and had been granted a Certificate of Identity (COI), a travel document which looks very similar to an Australian passport.
The Passport Office website states a COI “may be issued to non-Australian citizens who are unable to obtain a travel document from their country of nationality”.
But Emirates staff were wary of the document and decided it would not comply with Italian law.
In a statement , the airline said: “Mr Munzer Kassis and his family were not allowed to board a flight to Italy as they did not have the appropriate travel documents to enter the country”.
“Emirates abides by the rules and regulations of the respective issuing country and passengers must ensure they have the correct travel documents for each country.”
Migration law expert Professor Mary Crock from the University of Sydney said countries had the power not only to punish the individual but also the airline if they did not have the right documents.”In fact all around the world, what happens is that if governments are not happy with a person’s identity, they can both exclude the individual, but also impose carrier sanctions on the aircraft carrying them to the country.”
The family was devastated and confused. Mr Kassis said before the trip he was assured by staff at the Italian consulate in Melbourne that he didn’t need any further documentation.
“Then I asked if I need the visa to go to Italy and they say no. If you’re holding the travel document you don’t need a visa to go to Italy,” he said.
Family friend and migration law graduate Renee Mazloum told SBS News she had different emails that assured the Kassis’ would be able to get into Italy, and the situation would raise concern among refugee and migrant communities for those wanting to holiday outside of Australia.
Melbourne consulate for comment. The Sydney office said it was unaware of the situation, and couldn’t comment.
Professor Crock said it was unfortunate the family was travelling to Europe at a “sensitive time”.
