Sikh actor flies home to New York wearing his turban

Ending his two-day standoff with Aeromexico, Sikh-American actor Waris Ahluwalia has returned home onboard Mexico’s flag carrier after he was barred by it from boarding a flight as he refused to remove his turban.

Ahluwalia, 41, landed in New York on Wednesday, after being allowed to board a new Aeromexico flight without removing his turban for a check. On Wednesday, 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.

Ahluwalia is also a social activist who has campaigned for greater awareness of the Sikh religion. In 2013, he appeared as a model in a Gap “Make Love” advertisement that was posted in New York City subways and later defaced with racist graffiti.