Aviation injuries and accidents: Personal injury compensation

With the return of domestic and international air travel following the long period of restrictions imposed during the pandemic, more and more Australians are travelling by air. Unfortunately, of late, there have been several serious incidents resulting in potential injuries. For example, the crash at Tokyo's Haneda airport on 2 January 2024 and the incident involving an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft on 5 January 2024 – when a side section, including a window, of the plane fell off mid-air, leading to an emergency landing in Oregon, USA. It's a good time then to look at the various entitlements to compensation for those injured while travelling by air. This article provides a summary of the key relevant legislation, the available compensation as well as what you need to do if you have suffered a personal injury while travelling by aircraft in Australia and/or overseas.