A US resident is suing EgyptAir for $5 million after suffering second-degree burns caused by a hot tea spill on an international flight.
The incident, which occurred on February 18, 2024, during a flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Cairo (CAI), Egypt, left a 35-year-old passenger with what the complainant describes as “severe” and “permanent” injuries.
According to the lawsuit filed in Brooklyn federal court, the passenger sustained burns to her lower abdomen, right inner thigh, and buttocks after her tea spilled during unexpected turbulence in flight.
The suit outlined that the cabin crew member served a cup of hot tea shortly before the aircraft encountered turbulence. Without a lid to secure the drink, the tea reportedly toppled over and caused serious burns.
The passenger and her attorney argued that the EgyptAir cabin crew failed to take necessary precautions to prevent such an incident. According to the attorney, the flight attendants did not pause beverage service or issue a warning about the impending turbulence, despite allegedly being aware of it. The attorney also noted that the injury “could have been avoided with something as simple as a lid,” pointing out a failure to use basic safety measures to prevent the incident.
The legal filing further noted that the passenger’s seat tray was in poor condition, which allegedly prevented the cup from sitting securely on the tray table. The suit claimed that several seat trays on the aircraft were broken, and the passenger’s tray, in particular, could not stay level when in use. This defective equipment, the complaint argued, added to the risk of the spill and subsequent injury.
The lawsuit claimed that EgyptAir’s failure to maintain tray tables and provide lids for hot drinks, along with not warning about turbulence, caused Manhattan resident’s injuries. She is now seeking $5 million in damages for pain, distress, and long-term effects from the burns.
So far, EgyptAir has not commented on the lawsuit. The court has hired an expert to evaluate the full extent of burns and any long-term effects.