The Consumer Court has ordered compensation of Rs 26,192,406 to Priti Thapa, who was injured after hot coffee was spilled due to the carelessness of the cabin crew during a flight.
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The Consumer Court has ruled to pay compensation of Rs 26.192,406 in the case of a Nepali passenger who was burned by hot coffee spilled by the cabin crew during a flight.
Information Officer Homnath Kandel informed that the Consumer Court on Thursday ruled to pay compensation in the case filed by Lalitpur's Preeti Thapa, who was traveling on Qatar Airways, in the case of being burned by hot coffee.
Thapa had filed a case in the Consumer Court demanding a total of two million US dollars in compensation, or Rs 274.177,448 at the then exchange rate.
While giving its verdict in the case, the Kathmandu-based Consumer Court ruled that the victim will receive a total of Rs 26.192,406 in compensation, including Rs 24.192,406 as per the obligation under Article 21(1) of the Montreal Convention and an additional Rs 2 million as per the Consumer Protection Act. The court has decided to pay this compensation for medical expenses and mental damage.
The judgment was delivered by a bench of Consumer Court Chairman Diwakar Bhatt and members Gehendra Raj Regmi and Ananda Raj Pokharel.
What was the incident?
Thapa had purchased a round-trip air ticket from Qatar Airways on May 26, 2023, for the Kathmandu-Doha-Boston and Boston-Doha-Kathmandu routes. On the same ticket, she flew from Kathmandu to Boston via Doha on June 10, 2023. About a month later, on July 10, 2023, she flew from Boston to Doha via Qatar Airways and returned to Kathmandu on July 27, 2080.
While traveling on Qatar Airways QR 744 from Edward L. Logan International Airport in Boston, a member of the defendant's crew was serving extremely hot coffee. The spill caused severe burns to Thapa's stomach, thighs, and sensitive parts.
As soon as the plane landed, Thapa received first aid at the emergency medical service at Hamad International Airport. Her burns were diagnosed as second-degree burns. After returning to Nepal, she received further treatment at Kirtipur Hospital. She urged Qatar Airways to provide her with treatment and compensation.
However, when she did not receive any, she filed a case in the Consumer Court, arguing that this was not a matter of general contractual inconvenience or general service dissatisfaction but a matter related to physical injuries sustained by passengers on board the aircraft during international air transport. She claimed that Articles 17, 21, 33, and 35 of the Montreal Convention, which provides for the Unification of Rules for International Carriage by Air, 1999, would be directly applicable.
Thapa had filed a complaint regarding compensation internally. Qatar Airways had last responded to the claim on April 15, 2025, i.e., April 2, 2082, stating that it would not pay compensation. Thapa filed a case against it under the Consumer Protection Act, 2075, and the Montreal Convention. Qatar Airways had also claimed in court that it could not pay compensation for the coffee she spilled while drinking. Qatar Airways still has a way to go to the higher court against the consumer court's decision.
