German court upholds Kuwait Airways’ refusal to fly Israeli passenger

BERLIN — A German appeals court upholds a ruling that Kuwait’s national airline did not have to transport an Israeli citizen because of Kuwait’s boycott of Israel.

The Israeli man had sued the airline after he booked a flight from Frankfurt to Bangkok with a stopover in Kuwait City. Kuwait Airways canceled his booking when he revealed he had an Israeli passport and offered to book him on another airline.

The Frankfurt state court calls the boycott “unacceptable” but says Tuesday it meant the Israeli man would not have been able to enter the transit area of Kuwait City airport, so the airline could not have fulfilled its contract.

It dismisses as “irrelevant,” however, the airline’s fear of legal repercussions at home, saying Kuwait’s boycott has no legal standing in Germany.

— AP