GULF AIR COMPANY GSC v FATTOUH [2008] NSWCA 225

Reported Decision: [2009] ALMD 1381230 FLR 311251 ALR 183

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION: GULF AIR COMPANY GSC v FATTOUH [2008] NSWCA 225

HEARING DATE(S): 22 July 2008

JUDGMENT DATE: 24 September 2008

JUDGMENT OF: Allsop P at 1; Hodgson JA at 107; Campbell JA at 108

(1) leave be granted to appeal from the orders of the District Court made on 14 August 2007; (2) a notice of appeal be filed within 7 days; DECISION: (3) the appeal be allowed; (4) the said orders of the District Court be set aside and in lieu thereof order the proceedings against the first defendant be dismissed with costs; and (5) the respondent pay the appellant's costs of the appeal and application for leave to appeal.

CATCHWORDS: CARRIAGE BY AIR – carriers' liability – Warsaw Convention – Montreal Convention – jurisdiction – meaning of "place of destination"

Civil Aviation (Carriers' Liability) Act 1959 (Cth) LEGISLATION CITED: Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth) Stamp Act 1921 (WA)

CATEGORY: Principal judgment

Aanestad v Air Canada 390 F Supp 1165 (1975) Australian Securities and Investments Commission v Edensor Nominees Pty Limited (2001) 204 CLR 559 Baah v Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd 473 F Supp 2d 591 (2007) Brown Boveri (Aust) Pty Ltd v Baltic Shipping Co (1989) 15 NSWLR 448 Butz v British Airways 421 F Supp 127 (1976) Butz v British Airways 566 F 2d 1168 (1977) Croteau v Air Transat AT Inc [2007] QCCA 773 Effort Shipping Co Ltd v Linden Management SA [1998] AC 605 El Greco (Australia) Pty Ltd v Mediterranean Shipping Co SA [2004] FCAFC 202; 140 FCR 296 Emery Air Freight Corporation v Merck Sharp and Dohme (Australia) Pty Limited [1999] NSWCA 415; 47 NSWLR 696 Gayda v LOT Polish Airlines 702 F 2d 424 (1983) Grein v Imperial Airways Limited [1937] 1 KB 50 Haldimann v Delta Airlines Inc 168 F 3d 1324 (1999) Hurley v KLM Royal Dutch Airlines 562 F Supp 260 (1983) Hurley v KLM Royal Dutch Airlines 602 F Supp 1249 (1985) In re Air Crash Disaster Near Warsaw Poland, on May 9, 1987 760 F Supp 30 (1991) CASES CITED: In re Alleged Food Poisoning Incident, March, 1984 770 F 2d 3 (1985) In re Deep Vein Thrombosis Group Litigation [2006] 1 AC 495 Klos v Polskie Linie Lotnicze 133 F 3d 164 (1999) Kotsambasis v Singapore Airlines Ltd (1997) 42 NSWLR 110 (1987) Lee v China Airlines 669 F Supp 979 (1987) MacRobertson Miller Airline Services v Commissioner of State Taxation (WA) (1975) 133 CLR 125 Oceanic Sun Line Special Shipping Company Inc v Fay (1987) 8 NSWLR 242 Oceanic Sun Line Special Shipping Company Inc v Fay (1988) 165 CLR 197 Ong v Malaysian Airline System Berhad [2007] HKCU 1141 Ong v Malaysian Airline System Berhad [2008] HKCU 441 Petrire v Spantax SA 756 F 2d 263 (1985) Povey v Qantas Airways Ltd [2005] HCA 33; 223 CLR 189 Qureshi v KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (1979) 102 DLR (3rd ) 205 Re Air Crash Disaster of Aviateca Flight 901 near San Salvador, El Salvador on August 9, 1995 29 F Supp 2d 1333 (1997) Riverstone Meat Co Pty Ltd v Lancashire Shipping Co Ltd [1961] AC 807 Sopcak v Northern Mountain Helicopter Serv 52 F 3d 817 (1995) Swaminathan v Swiss Air Transport Company 962 F 2d 387 (1992) Vertzyas v Singapore Airlines Ltd (2000) 50 NSWLR 1