Ryanair is under fire for asking South Africans to prove their nationality with an Afrikaans language test

The airline Ryanair asks South African travelers to take an Afrikaans test to prove their nationality before boarding flights. (CNN) — Ryanair is receiving heavy criticism for asking South African travelers to take an Afrikaans test to prove their nationality before boarding flights.
The low-cost airline has been accused of racial discrimination for presenting passengers with a test in this West Germanic language, which was imposed on black South Africans during apartheid and is estimated to be used by only 12% of the population. News of the test broke last month after a passenger traveling from Portugal to London revealed on Twitter that he had been asked to complete “a two-page test in Afrikaans” before being allowed to board his flight. The move sparked fury among South Africans, with many taking to social media to criticize the airline, pointing out that South Africa has 11 official languages, and many nationals do not speak Afrikaans. “Insane and discriminatory” Independent aviation analyst Alex Macheras called the decision “categorically insane and discriminatory.” Ryanair has since issued a statement stating that the test, made up of questions related to general knowledge of South Africa, was issued in response to the “high prevalence” of forged South African passports. “Due to the high prevalence of fraudulent South African passports, we require passengers traveling to the UK to complete a simple questionnaire issued in Afrikaans,” the statement said. “If they are unable to complete this questionnaire, they will be denied travel and a full refund will be issued.” The UK High Commissioner to South Africa has also responded, noting that the questionnaire “is not a requirement of the UK government”. Afrikaans is the third most widely spoken language in South Africa, after Zulu and Xhosa. Ryanair does not operate direct flights to or from South Africa. It is unclear whether the test requirement applies to all Ryanair flights or just those to the UK. CNN has contacted Ryanair for comment.