In a formal manner, a former employee of Singapore Airlines, who served as a flight attendant, has initiated legal action against the airline seeking $1.3 million in damages.
The plaintiff, Durairaj Santiran, aged 36, presented his case before the High Court of Singapore on Tuesday.
He alleges that the airline failed in its duty to provide a safe working environment, resulting in an incident during a 17-hour flight in 2019 where he slipped and suffered a head injury due to a grease patch on the aircraft.
Following this incident, Durairaj Santiran was diagnosed with a cervical disc prolapse, which, according to him, rendered him unable to continue his employment as a cabin crew member.
Former Flight Attendant Spots Grease Stain Pre-Flight
During court proceedings, Durairaj recounted the incident which transpired while he was fulfilling duties aboard an Airbus A350 flight from San Francisco bound for Singapore, approximately two hours before the scheduled landing of the aircraft.
As per court documentation Durairaj initially observed a three-inch, colorless grease stain within the economy class area while the aircraft was preparing to depart from San Francisco.
He reported this observation to a senior flight attendant, who instructed him to clean the stain using disinfectant and a paper towel.
Despite his efforts, Durairaj asserted that he was unable to remove the stain.
Upon informing his superior that the stain persisted, the crew attempted to clean it once more but were unsuccessful in doing so, Durairaj claimed.
Subsequently, as the flight approached Singapore, Durairaj slipped on the grease, resulting in a fall wherein he struck his head on the floor.
Following the incident, he had to be assisted off the aircraft using a wheelchair.
In his opening statement, Durairaj’s legal representatives, Ramasamy Chettiar and Kasturibai Manickam, argued that had reasonable care been exercised, measures would have been taken to remove the grease stain or prevent access to the hazardous area.
They suggested, for instance, that the cabin crew could have placed a pushcart over the grease stain.
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Durairaj Pursues $1.3M Claim for Future Losses
Durairaj’s legal team stated that he is seeking $1.3 million in damages, primarily to cover anticipated losses in future earnings and medical expenses.
The lawyers representing Singapore Airlines contested Durairaj’s assertions, contending that no such grease stain existed and alleging that Durairaj fell in a different section of the aircraft.
Durairaj additionally lodged distinct work-related injury claims in 2017 and 2018, which, as stated by Singapore Airlines’ legal team during their opening statement, were not disputed by the airline.
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