Ending his two-day standoff with Aeromexico, Waris Ahluwalia has returned to New York onboard Mexico's flag carrier after he was barred by it from boarding a flight from Mexico City as he refused to remove his turban.
Ahluwalia, 41, landed in New York yesterday, after being allowed to board a new Aeromexico flight without removing his turban for a check.
"I was asked to rub it with my hand, then present my hand for swabbing, which I did. That had been the past security practice, he was quoted as saying by the New York Times.
Before takeoff, he posted a photograph online of himself inside an aircraft with his arms around the shoulders of what appeared to be two Aeromexico pilots.
"He told us that the check was smooth," said Harsimran Kaur, the legal director for the Sikh Coalition, a civil-rights group that worked to resolve the impasse while Ahluwalia spent two days at the airport.
Yesterday, Aeromexico apologised to Ahluwalia, saying it "recognises and is proud of the diversity of its passengers".
"We apologise to Mr Waris Ahluwalia for the bad experience he went through with one of our security personnel," Aeromexico said in a statement.
The airline said it works to maintain strong security measures while respecting its passengers' cultures and beliefs.
Ahluwalia felt "great" about the apology, but said there's more work to be done.
On Monday, Ahluwalia was not allowed to board the Aeromexico flight from Mexico City to New York, triggering the standoff and condemnation from the fashion community.
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Ahluwalia later also told the media thatthe airline sent him an email, saying it had "issued a directive to its staff regarding the religious significance of the Sikh turban."
The airline also said it plans to consult with the TSA in the US on sensitivity training for airline and airport staff.
"Heading home this morning," he wrote on Instagram.
"Thank you @aeromexico for understanding the importance of religious and cultural tolerance. I am happy we were able to work together to come up with a resolution."
"That's all I wanted, and here it is in a few lines - it's right there in black and white," Ahluwalia said.
"I'm getting goosebumps right now that if this makes a difference for anyone travelling into the country or leaving the country, then it was all worth it."
Ahluwalia told ABC news he wasn't angry about the incident: "The only way to combat that is with love, is with tolerance, is with understanding and is with education.
