Lufthansa may face 'unlimited' damages for Alps crash

March 28, 2015 01:25

Lufthansa could face "unlimited" compensation claims for the crash that killed 150 people in the French alps and it would be difficult, even counterproductive, for the German carrier to try to avoid liability, experts said today.

Under a treaty governing deaths and injuries aboard international flights, airlines are required to compensate relatives of victims for proven damages of up to a limit currently set at about $157,000 regardless of what caused the crash.

But higher compensation is possible if a carrier is held liable.

"So more or less you will have unlimited financial damage," said Marco Abate, a German aviation lawyer.

To avoid liability, a carrier has to prove that the crash wasn't due to "negligence or other wrongful act" by its employees, according to Article 21 of the 1999 Montreal Convention.

That would be a difficult argument to make when a pilot intentionally crashes a plane into a mountain, and one that Lufthansa would likely avoid as it could further damage the brand, Abate said.

Investigators say the co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525 locked himself into the cockpit and slammed the Airbus A320 into the Alps. Germanwings is a subsidiary of Lufthansa.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Europa League PIX: Leverkusen win at Roma; Marseille held at home

IMAGES from the Europa League semifinal matches played on Thursday.

Gradual volume recovery, valuations to support Hindustan Unilever's stock

Hindustan Unilever's (HUL's) performance for the quarter ended March 2023 (Q4FY24) was in line with modest consensus expectations. Net revenue was up 1 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) with 2 per cent volume growth. Home care maintained...

No Gandhis in Amethi fray for first time in 25 years

The last time a non-Gandhi was in the fray from the constituency was in 1998, when Satish Sharma, a close aide of Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, contested the polls but lost to the BJP's Sanjaya Sinh.

'Sometimes Sanjay Sir Would Be On Fire'

'Before every scene, Sanjay Leela Bhansali would play two or three songs over and over again, especially when Sharmin and I would shoot, because it invoked his emotion. One of the songs was from The Last Samurai. Everything is in rhythm...

Who is Kishori Lal Sharma, Cong's candidate in Amethi?

Sharma was the key person who looked after Rae Bareli and Amethi constituencies on behalf of the Gandhis.