Report Aussie Women Get Green Light to Sue Qatar Airways for Airport Ordeal

[webfact]

Picture courtes y of Lukas Souza/Unsplash

 

Five Australian women have cleared a major hurdle, gaining the right to sue Qatar Airways. The case stems from a 2020 incident at Doha airport, where they were strip-searched after a baby was found abandoned. Initially, a judge dismissed their case, citing limited airline accountability.

 

The women's appeal argued that the initial ruling, which exempted Qatar Airways under global travel laws, was flawed. Now, Australia's Federal Court has overturned this, allowing the lawsuit to proceed. The women are seeking damages for the invasive searches, which they say resulted in severe mental trauma.

 

This legal battle, initiated in 2021, targets Qatar Airways, Qatar's Civil Aviation Authority, and airport operator Matar. The women allege "unlawful physical contact" and false imprisonment, aiming for justice for the ordeal they endured alongside similar searches affecting UK and New Zealand travellers.

 

All parties involved originally pushed for the case to be dismissed. In April 2024, Justice John Halley ruled against Qatar Airways' liability under the Montreal Convention. He argued that the airline's staff couldn't have influenced Qatari police actions or the examinations conducted onsite.

 

While the case against Qatar's aviation regulator was dismissed due to immunity from foreign prosecution, avenues remain open against Qatar Airways and Matar. Justices Angus Stewart, Debra Mortimer, and James Stellios underscored the necessity for trial-based deliberation, allowing the case to move forward.

 

The women, whose UK and NZ counterparts aren't part of this suit, maintain their harrowing experience demands justice. Their lawyer, Damian Sturzaker, expressed relief at the decision, emphasising their deserved compensation and courtroom opportunities.

 

The incident caused lasting repercussions, with accounts of immense distress. One woman recounted the ordeal as akin to being "raped," while another felt she was being kidnapped, highlighting the severe emotional aftermath, reported BBC.

 

The invasive searches sparked a significant global outcry at the time.

 

Despite a criminal charge that resulted in a suspended sentence for an airport official, the women view pursuing this legal route as essential because they believe Qatari authorities have taken insufficient action. They have called for a formal apology and changes to airport procedures to prevent repeat incidents.

 

The case is now primed for trial in the Federal Court, spotlighting an indispensable pursuit for accountability and change. The implications of this proceeding could resonate widely, advocating for the protection of traveller rights in sensitive security procedures.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-07-30

 

 

[SAFETY FIRST]

2 minutes ago, webfact said:

they were strip-searched after a baby was found abandoned

How is the baby doing, did they find the mother, was she an Aussie or Kiwi? 

 

[DonniePeverley]

What actually happened ? Poor article. 

[mikeymike100]

8 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

What actually happened ? Poor article. 

Yes very poor, here is a brief explanation!

Five Australian women are suing Qatar Airways and Matar, the operator of Hamad International Airport, following an incident on October 2, 2020, at Doha airport. The women, part of a group of over a dozen passengers, were forcibly removed from a Sydney-bound Qatar Airways flight by armed guards and subjected to non-consensual physical examinations, including invasive gynecological searches, in ambulances on the tarmac. This was triggered by the discovery of a newborn baby abandoned in a bathroom, as authorities sought to identify the mother. The women are seeking damages for unlawful physical contact, false imprisonment, negligence, and mental health impacts, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

[Watawattana]

8 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

What actually happened ? Poor article. 

The OP says "The case stems from a 2020 incident at Doha airport, where they were strip-searched after a baby was found abandoned."

 

[BarraMarra]

Qatar Airways like to think there the Worlds top Airline but go against them and you find out how they deal with people who say things about them. Ask Josh Cahill ( Airline Vlogger )  he has been banned from flying Qatar Airways because he posted bad service on a flight.

[Cameroni]

Some women desperately trying to cash in again for a big payday. 

 

Always the same.

[impulse]

1 hour ago, Cameroni said:

Some women desperately trying to cash in again for a big payday. 

 

Always the same.

 

They were deeply wronged.  By Qatari authorities and personnel, in Qatar.

 

They deserve their day in a Qatari court.  Not an Aussie court.  But good luck with that.

 

I'd like to see them get a buttload of money in a settlement.  But not in Australia.

 

[Cameroni]

4 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

They were deeply wronged. 

 

 

Yes, that's why they pursue legal action against Qatar Airways, like terriers. The principle of it. Nothing to do with the truck loads of cash they hope to get, I'm sure.

 

You realise if Qatar Airways has to shell out on a big judgement, this will make flights more expensive for all of us?

[mikeymike100]

2 hours ago, Cameroni said:

Some women desperately trying to cash in again for a big payday. 

 

Always the same.

This time they actually have a good case and I hope they win big!

[mikeymike100]

1 hour ago, impulse said:

 

They were deeply wronged.  By Qatari authorities and personnel, in Qatar.

 

They deserve their day in a Qatari court.  Not an Aussie court.  But good luck with that.

 

I'd like to see them get a buttload of money in a settlement.  But not in Australia.

 

Problem is if it was in Qatar the odds would be stacked against them probably, Qatar courts would have a Qatari  judge, is he gonna be fair and unbiased ??

[CallumWK]

1 hour ago, impulse said:

I'd like to see them get a buttload of money in a settlement.  But not in Australia.

 

Can you explain why not in an Australian court, since that actually would increase their chances on a fair ruling.

[GreasyFingers]

2 hours ago, Cameroni said:

You realise if Qatar Airways has to shell out on a big judgement, this will make flights more expensive for all of us?

Don't cry too much from your pocket.

[pacovl46]

How the hell is a strip-search gonna help to identify the mother?! 

[TedG]

4 minutes ago, pacovl46 said:

How the hell is a strip-search gonna help to identify the mother?! 

Arab logic. 

[impulse]

2 hours ago, CallumWK said:

 

Can you explain why not in an Australian court, since that actually would increase their chances on a fair ruling.

 

Go ahead and sue in an Australian court.  But don't be surprised if a Qatari citizen sues some Aussie company in a Qatari court for some slight that happened to them in Aus.  Under whatever strange laws the Qataris see fit.  Can you see where that's a Pandora's box?

 

Just spitballing here, but what if a bunch of Qatari women decided to sue for $100 million because they were subjected to lifting their veil and compromising their modesty going through security in an Aus Airport?  In a Qatari court, they may win...

 

[impulse]

1 hour ago, TedG said:

1 hour ago, pacovl46 said:

How the hell is a strip-search gonna help to identify the mother?! 

Arab logic. 

 

More like basic biology.  A woman who has just given birth has some tells.

 

[DezLez]

Just now, impulse said:

Go ahead and sue in an Australian court.  But don't be surprised if a Qatari citizen sues some Aussie company in a Qatari court for some slight that happened to them in Aus.  Under whatever strange laws the Qataris see fit.  Can you see where that's a Pandora's box?

 

A so called "opening of a Pandora's box" has nothing to do with this if it is a legitimate case!

If it is legitimate then go ahead and to hell with any  so called whataboutism!

[CallumWK]

1 hour ago, pacovl46 said:

How the hell is a strip-search gonna help to identify the mother?! 

 

I would think that a doctor can see if a lady recently has given birth, and without knowing the details, I presume that ladies involved were pregnant.