Wife 'flew Manchester to India on husband's passport'

Emirates airline admitted its staff were to blame for the mistake at Manchester Airport

An airline is investigating how a woman flew 4,200 miles from Manchester to Delhi on her husband's passport.

A relative of Geeta Modha said she "accidentally" picked up her partner Dilip's passport when she set off on a business trip to India on 23 April.

The family member said the "shocking" error was not spotted at check-in or on boarding the Emirates flight and Mrs Modha only realised at Delhi airport.

Emirates apologised saying its "usual high standards were not followed".

'Stranded in Dubai'

Mrs Modha's relative, who asked not to be identified, said the mistake was only discovered in Delhi when she tried to fill in an immigration form.

She was refused entry into India and had to return to Dubai on the next available flight, the relative said.

Mrs Modha was then "stranded" at Dubai airport overnight until Emirates could get her passport on the next flight from Manchester.

The businesswoman, who runs Alankar House bridal shop in Rusholme, Greater Manchester, then had to book another flight to Delhi.

Her relative said: "It is shocking. She was very, very worried. Imagine getting all the way to [India] and realising you had used someone else's passport."

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She said had check-in staff spotted the error Mrs Modha "would have had enough time" to get her own passport to the airport as she arrived three hours before she was due to fly.

Mrs Modha is understood to have used an overseas citizenship of India card during a stop in Dubai.

The relative added it was a "huge inconvenience" to her trip.

Manchester Airport said it was the airline's responsibility to check identification.

Emirates says it works closely with its airport handlers to ensure "passport checks [are] taken very seriously".

"In this instance our usual high standards were not followed," the company said, adding that it is "investigating the incident and will ensure a review of training for the staff involved."