Qatar Airways has pledged not to repeat an “extreme incident” in which 13 Australian women were subjected to gynaecological examinations in 2020. The incident occurred when the women were on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Sydney. The women claim they were taken off the flight at gunpoint by guards and searched without consent while authorities at Hamad International Airport were searching for the mother of a newborn baby abandoned in a bin. Five of the women are suing the airline in the Federal Court of Australia. Qatar Airways’ senior vice president, Matt Raos, stated that the incident was a “one-off” and an “extreme incident” and assured that the airline is committed to ensuring it does not happen again. Australia’s transport minister, Catherine King, had previously cited the examinations as a factor in her decision to refuse the airline additional flights to Australia.
Qatar Airways Vows to Stop Invasive Exams on Female Passengers
