I'm a Turkish national. I currently reside in Germany and I have a type D visa as well as a residence card, both issued by Germany. I was in Oslo, and to go back to Turkiye I could only afford a transit flight through the UK (London). I checked Timatic Web and the requirements for my profile were:
Transiting without a visa is possible for:
Nationals of Turkiye transiting through London (LHR) or Manchester (MAN) with a confirmed onward ticket for a flight to a third country on the same calendar day. They must:
- have a "D" visa issued by Germany, and
- stay in the international transit area of the airport, and
- have documents required for the next destination.
I'm sure that I had all those required documents. But I was denied boarding by Norwegian Air Shuttle on the basis that the flight only lands in a gate that does not connect to the international area of the airport.
Is this a legitimate basis for being denying boarding? If so, do I have the right to make any claims for refunds? And if I was wrongfully denied boarding for this flight, how can I reclaim my rights under the EU's 261?
Edit: Since I didn't mention some details I'm adding them here:
- The first flight was from the Oslo Gardermoen Airport to Gatwick Airport in London.
- I was aware at the time that I had the ability to enter the UK because of the German visa that I had and told them about it.
- Flights were booked individually.
- The flight number was DY1308, Norwegian Air Shuttle denied my boarding.
