Qatar Airways says invasive examinations at airport were actions of police, not airline, Sydney court told

Qatar Airways and subsidiary Matar submitted evidence in a Sydney court in their application to dismiss the Australian women’s lawsuit over the incident at Doha airport. Photograph: Ibrahem Alomari/Reuters

Qatar Airways has argued that an incident at Doha airport in which women were forcibly removed from planes by armed guards and some intimately examined without consent was a result of the actions of police and not airline or airport staff.

Five Australian woman are suing the airline and its subsidiary Matar, which runs Doha airport, over the incident in October 2020, seeking damages over “unlawful physical contact” and mental health impacts, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.