Airlines face renewed action over DVT
Airlines that were allegedly aware of the risk of deep vein thrombosis from flying are facing legal action once again.
24 claimants, who include relatives of those who have died from DVT after flying as well as survivors of the condition, are taking their cases to the Court of Appeal, following the High Court judgement last year that airlines could not be held responsible.
Deep vein thromboses are blood clots, usually occurring in the legs, that can be fatal if they are dislodged and travel to the brain or lung.
18 long-haul carriers are involved, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Monarch. The claimants have insisted that their families should have been warned about the risk, which they claim has been known to airlines for decades.
The aviation industry’s defence is that the 1929 Warsaw Convention only requires airlines to pay damages in the event of accidents, and DVT cannot be classed as such because it is a reaction by individual passengers to the ordinary circumstances of flying,
They also point to evidence that DVT can be caused by any form of immobility including bed confinement after operations, and very long car and train journeys.
Their cases has further been backed up this week with new evidence published in ‘The Lancet’ suggesting that – contrary to recent allegations – the reduced air pressure in aircraft cabins, which leads to limited availability of oxygen, does not increase the risk of DVT.
But the Aviation Health Bill that is due to be introduced to Parliament this week, aims to ensure that airlines have a duty of care for the “health, welfare and psychological wellbeing of their passengers”.
Scientists generally accept that there is a link between prolonged confinement, as happens onboard planes, and DVT, and passengers are now advised to remain mobile, while those who may be predisposed to blood clots are advised to take extra measures such as taking aspirin and wearing support stockings.
