German court rejects compensation claim by relatives of 2015 Germanwings crash victims
A regional court in Braunschweig dismissed a suit by 30 relatives of Germanwings flight 4U9525 victims who sought damages from Germany's Federal Aviation Office. The court held that equivalent claims can be pursued against the airline itself.
A court in Braunschweig dismissed on Tuesday a claim brought by relatives of victims of the 2015 Germanwings crash against Germany's Federal Aviation Office, according to the public broadcaster Tagesschau. The 30 claimants had sought compensation ranging from 500 to 110,000 euros.
Their case argued that the authority failed to adequately monitor the medical fitness to fly of the co-pilot held responsible for the crash. Flight 4U9525 was deliberately brought down on 24 March 2015, killing all 144 passengers and six crew members on board.
The court found that the surviving relatives can pursue equivalent claims against Germanwings, and that on that basis they are not entitled to compensation from the Federal Republic of Germany under state liability rules. The judge referred to the Montreal Convention, which governs liability in international air transport.
The ruling follows earlier failures by relatives in damages cases against Lufthansa, Germanwings' parent company. Two courts held that responsibility for the aeromedical assessment of the co-pilot rested not with Lufthansa but with the state, or with the Federal Aviation Office.
Sources
- aerotelegraph.comAngehörige von Germanwings-Absturzopfern scheitern mit Klage