LATAM Airlines fined by New Zealand for violating immigration procedures
New Zealand’s immigration authorities have slapped a South American airline with a fine for allowing an unauthorised passenger to travel despite being warned not to.
LATAM Airlines was fined $11,700 plus court costs for violating NZ’s immigration law.
The airline boarded an unauthorised Syrian national even after Immigration New Zealand instructed the airline not to.
INZ’s national manager, Border, Senta Jehle, said it was the third time the airline had been prosecuted and was the seventh time it had ignored a ‘do not board’ directive.
"INZ takes this type of offending very seriously as airlines have a vital role to play in maintaining the integrity of New Zealand’s immigration system and keeping the border secure," Jehle said.
"In this case the airline completely ignored the instruction from INZ not to board the passenger and we were left with no alternative but to take prosecution action."
The offence dated back to November 2015 and the passenger was removed from New Zealand the same day he arrived.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Marginal increase for New York City tourism in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments