The Supreme Court decision of Halime v Singapore Airlines Ltd shows the importance of obtaining specialist legal advice for personal injury claims arising from aircraft accidents. The Plaintiff, Mr Halime, suffered psychological injuries after an engine on his Singapore Airlines flight exploded and he witnessed the engine on fire.
The aircraft accident occurred on 28 May 1992. Mr Halime represented himself and filed a Statement of Claim on 28 May 2014. However, there is a strict 2 year time limit to bring a personal injury claim arising from an aircraft accident. Mr Halime was therefore 20 years out of time. Furthermore, the Civil Aviation (Carriers’ Liability) Act 1959 (Cth) which incorporates international aviation conventions into Australian law, limits personal injury claims to claims for bodily injury only. Mr Halime therefore did not have a right to personal injury compensation for his pure psychological injury. The judgment of the Supreme Court can be found here.
If you have been injured on a domestic or international flight, contact our expert travel law team for advice. Contact us.
