Defrenne v Sabena (No 2) Defrenne v Sabena (No 2) Defrenne v Sabena (No 2) (1976) Case 43/75 is a foundational European Union law case, concerning direct effect and the European Social Charter in the European Union. The case was championed by the Belgian lawyer Eliane Vogel-Polsky, who was responsible for much of the heavy involvement in sex discrimination law of the time by the European Court of Justice. A woman named Gabrielle Defrenne worked as a flight attendant for the Belgian national airline Sabena. Under Belgian law, female flight attendants were obliged to retire at the age of 60, unlike their male counterparts. Defrenne
1935 SABENA Savoia-Marchetti S.73 crash Caterham on 16 January 1936. Evidence was given that the pilot was experienced, having been employed by SABENA since 1927. No distress calls had been made by radio. Verdicts of "accidental death" were returned in all cases. Among the casualties was Sir John Carden, joint owner of aircraft manufacturer Carden-Baynes, and a director of Vickers-Armstrongs. Dutch middleweight boxing champion Florend Willems was scheduled to be on the flight. Instead, he decided to travel by boat. He was due to fight Jack Hyams in Stepney on 11 December. Among the victims was Eugène Samyn, 48-year-old, textile manufacturer, on a business trip