Airline sued after stewardess is 'raped by pilot'

Alamy

An air stewardess who claims was raped by a pilot during a stopover in Hong Kong is suing one of the world's leading airlines.

The woman, from the south of England, cannot be named for legal reasons. The Daily Mailreports that she is suing her employer for sex discrimination because she claims that the accused pilot was treated more favourably than her.

The airline has not been named, but is known to be a well-known international carrier.

The report in the Daily Mail says that no action was taken against the man.

Corbis

After reporting the incident, which took place on a stopover in a Hong Kong hotel, the airline suspended the pilot, but he was allowed to return to work a few months later with no restrictions.

At a pre-hearing review at a south London employment tribunal, the woman said she felt she had been treated unjustly by her employer.

She said: "I informed my employer as soon as I could of what had happened to me, what that man did to me. I was the female victim of rape."

She sobbed as she gave evidence, describing how he was allowed to return to work with no restrictions.

"I was told I was not allowed access to his rosters to make sure I would not be on the same flight as him and was advised if we were on the same flight I should leave as that would be the best course of action."

Saying she was in constant fear of the man, she said: " I felt he was treated more favourably than me because he's a male pilot."

The woman's claim of sex discrimination was upheld and a full hearing will take place in September.

This is not the first time an air hostess has reported rape by a pilot. In May 2010, a pilot with Jet Airways was arrested at Mumbai airport for allegedly raping an air hostess. In November last year, a Thomson Airways pilot was jailed for raping a woman at a Gatwick hotel.

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