A flight attendant working onboard a flight from Mumbai to London Heathrow is suing British Airways for £72k after she sustained injuries during severe turbulence in June 2019. The case is currently ongoing at the Crown Court in Central London.
What actually happened on the flight?
56-year-old flight attendant Laura Lanigan had been flying with British Airways for over three decades before she was ‘flung into the air’ during a turbulent descent into London Heathrow. She claims that the pilot of the Boeing 777 ‘flew into the danger zone’ knowing that it was a safety risk to staff and passengers onboard.
The shift movement of the cabin gave Lanigan a dislocated shoulder and a fractured knee whilst she was finishing service before landing. She stated she was thrown upwards in the galley before crashing into the floor, landing directly on her back. She departed the aircraft at Heathrow in a wheelchair.
This comes only a month after another British Airways flight from Los Angeles bound for London Heathrow caused substantial injuries to the flight crew.
What is being said in court?
Meteorologists claim the rough air outside London Heathrow was caused by a cumulonimbus cloud, which was situated near Heathrow’s landing path. The thermal air combined with the low altitude made the air unstable; the crew claimed they didn’t see anything resembling these ‘dangerous’ clouds.
Lanigan’s barrister as quoted in media reports states:
“We say that the path that was being taken was sufficiently proximate to the cumulonimbus cloud that it was within the danger zone.”
However, British Airways claims that all sufficient safety checks were carried out and there appeared to be no danger to the aircraft. BA’s representative, Peter Savory states in the airline’s defence:
“The defendant’s case is quite simply that the pilot made proper observations. Whatever they saw, the pilots say it wasn’t a cumulonimbus, An operating officer on the flight deck reported seeing only “fluffy white clouds.”
The trial is currently ongoing and is expected to continue over the coming months.
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