Last updated: March 14, 2014

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National Breaking News

Aboriginal men sue Qantas over flight

A GROUP of Aboriginal men are suing Qantas after they were kicked off a flight.

The eight men, who were on their way home from an indigenous leadership program in Cairns, say they were thrown off the Qantas plane before it left Sydney almost three years ago.


The men say they were told they could not travel as a group and would have to catch separate flights, in pairs, the following morning.

The group are suing Qantas for damages, accusing the airline of false imprisonment, according to ABC TV.

One of the men, Michael Edwards, said he was humiliated during the incident.

"People were looking at us giggling, and you know I felt like a criminal, like I'd done something really bad and we did nothing wrong," he told ABC TV.

In a statement, Qantas said it was defending the claims in court.

Flight attendant Kelly Kalimnios said the men were behaving in a rowdy and boisterous manner, with one calling her "white trash", an affidavit shows.

Federal independent MP Rob Oakeshott, who was also on the flight, said he supports the indigenous men's claims.

"From everything I saw they were behaving no different to anyone else who is a bit excited about catching a plane," Mr Oakeshott said.

"It was an extremely heavy-handed response."

A hearing over the case is set to take place in a Sydney court in August.