A commercial airline pilot of 27 years has said he was horrified after being refused entry to Turkey due to the fact his name shared similarities with a wanted smuggler.

Mizanur Rahman's nightmare trip meant he has lost important medical equipment as his luggage went missing and he had to fork out hundreds to get him and his family home.

The Swaythling resident flew from Gatwick Airport to Istanbul International Airport on a Wizz Air flight on November 7, with his wife and son, where he was due to stay in the country for a week for medical treatment.

Arriving in Istanbul at 7pm, the former Qatar Airways pilot was refused entry by authorities due to the similarities between his name and that of the smuggler, who is also the same age.

Speaking to the Echo, Mr Rahman said: “It was horrible, I couldn’t believe it.

“I’ve been a pilot for so many years and travelled all over the world and never had any problems.

“I was simply told I wouldn’t be let into the country and me and my family had to wait in the airport until the next morning to fly straight back home.

"We contacted the British Embassy in Turkey but there was nothing they could do as they didn’t have the power to tell another country who they were and weren’t allowed to let in.”

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The 56-year-old had to fork out more than £1,500 for him and his family to return to the UK on a Turkish Airlines flight at 8am the next morning, after sleeping in the airport lounge.

While in Istanbul International Airport, the former pilot’s luggage was lost – meaning his clothes, personal items, and medical equipment had all been lost.

“It really was a horrible experience, and I don’t want this to happen anyone else,” he said.

“Somewhere between the plane, the conveyor, and the airport lost and found my belongings have been lost."

In a letter to Mr Rahman, a spokesperson for Wizz Air said “it is the passenger's obligation not to leave personal belongings and baggage behind when leaving the flight.”

But he said: "How can it be when I pay them for that service – having my luggage in the hold – and when I got to Turkey, I never even left the airport, and it’s disappeared.

“I just hope something like this never happens to anyone else; how it could have been allowed to happen in the first place I don’t know.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Wizz Air said: "For all cases of lost luggage, customers are advised to fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) confirming the delay of your baggage, which can be used for insurance and claim purposes if necessary.

"Further details of this procedure are clearly stated on the Wizz Air website."