Australian judge ends women’s case against Qatar Airways but allows lawsuit against subsidiary

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian court has rejected a case brought by five women seeking compensation from Qatar Airways over invasive gynecological examinations conducted on passengers at Doha’s airport in 2020. The women’s case against the airport’s operator is still going ahead, however.

The five, whose identities have been concealed by the courts, were among hundreds of women forcibly removed from airliners in Doha on Oct. 2, 2020, as officials searched for the mother of a newborn baby found dumped in a terminal trash can.

Thirteen women were removed from a flight to Sydney. Many said they were forced to undergo non-consensual gynecological or intimate physical examinations.

Federal Court Justice John Halley on Wednesday ruled the women’s argument against state-owned Qatar Airways did not meet international airline liability protocols.

“My conclusion that the exclusivity principle precludes the applicants from pursuing any claim for damages against Qatar Airways is a complete answer to the claims that the applicants seek to bring against Qatar Airways,” Halley said.

The judge also said the women’s case against the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority could not go ahead. However, the case against the Qatar Company for Airports Operation and Management (MATAR), the airport’s operator, could continue. MATAR is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qatar Airways.

The women’s lawyer, Damian Sturzaker, said in a statement his clients were considering an appeal.

“We note however that the claims against the airport operator, MATAR remain on foot. Our clients’ resolve to continue to agitate their claims remains undiminished,” Sturzaker said. The case returns to court on May 10.

Australian Transport Minister Catherine King did not