Passenger alleges assault, Malaysian Airlines sacks steward before any probe into incident

, Nov 13:

Airlines is in news again for yet another wrong reason. The airlines, which was struck by two

tragedies this year, has sacked a steward for allegedly sexually assaulting a passenger in August this year.

A AFP report said that the steward assaulted the passenger who told him before the flight that he was scared of flying with the airline. The steward sat beside the passenger in the guise of comforting her and sexually assaulted her during the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Paris.

The 57-year-old steward was sacked by a letter on August 22, two weeks after the incident. Ever since, he has been detained in a centre at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport. There has been no hearing so far in the case, which is clearly a violation of natural justice.

The AFP repirt quoted Ismail Nasaruddin, president of the National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia, as saying, "What Malaysia Airlines (MAS) did is a clear violation of natural justice. There has not been any hearing so far for the crew who is being held in Paris".

The steward was detained after the Australian passenger complained to authorities about the incident after the flight landed at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport.

This year, a passenger jet on Malaysian Airlines went missing and another was shot down over conflict-torn east Ukraine. The sexual assault incident comes as yet another set back for the airlines which is also facing a financial crisis after the twin tragedies.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared mysteriously on March 8 with 239 people aboard, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.On July 17, MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, with 298 people killed.

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