Low cost airline easyJet will be in court twice this week two fight two separate legal challenges by disabled passengers who the airline refused to fly.
One of the cases, due to heard on Thursday, concerns the airline’s refusal to allow two female wheelchair users to fly unaccompanied.
One of the women was travelling to her son’s funeral in Portugal at the time of the incident, according to weekend reports.
The airline is expected to claim it acted for safety reasons and in compliance with British and European laws.
The first case will be heard in a Paris appeals court today over a situation in March 2010 when Marie-Patricia Hoarau boarded an easyJet aicraft from the French capital to Nice.
Hoarau had travelled from Nice to Paris the previous day without problems but cabin crew asked whether she could get to an emergency exit on her own.
When she said no, they told her she had to be accompanied by someone.
When another passenger – a pilot travelling on the flight – offered to accompany her the airline said it was not acceptable.
Hoaray took the airline and the aircraft’s captain to court after contacting France’s disabled association APF.
In May last year a French court dimissed the claim against the captain but fined the airline €5,000. Hoarau was awarded €5,000 in damages.
The airline appealed the ruling and the case will be heard today.