Doha, Qatar: The Investment and Trade Court ordered an airline company to compensate a passenger after its employee refused to allow the commuter to board the plane.

The court ruled in favour of the passenger awarding a sum of QR 20,000 for material and moral damages, with the judgment being immediately enforceable.

Arabic daily Al Sharq quoted the details from the passenger’s lawsuit filed against the airline before the Investment and Trade Court, seeking QR 500,000 in compensation for material and moral damages, as well as expenses and legal fees. The name of the airline involved in the incident was not disclosed in the newspaper’s report.

The complaint stated that on the day of the incident, the passenger arrived at the airport to complete check-in procedures for a flight from Doha to an Arab capital. Upon reaching the boarding gate and handing over the travel documents to the airline employee, the latter loudly claimed that she was late and would not be allowed to board the plane.

The passenger tried various ways to persuade the employee to let her board, especially since there was still approximately an hour before departure. However, the employee refused without justification and treated the passenger disrespectfully, leading to her collapse and urgent medical attention being required. This resulted in her missing the flight and being deprived of travel, causing both material and moral damages.

Attorney Abdullah Nuaimi Al-Hajri, a board member of the Qatari Lawyers Association, representing the affected passenger, submitted a legal memorandum accompanied by evidence and documents. He requested compensation for the passenger's material and moral damages, citing relevant civil law articles.

The attorney emphasized that the passenger had a contractual agreement with the airline through the travel ticket, obligating the company to transport her from one capital to another. He added that the company's failure to allow her to board despite completing travel procedures and arriving on time caused material damages in terms of missing the flight and ticket cost, as well as moral damages due to the harsh treatment she received.

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