Indian Jet Airways to sue American firm over allegations of al-Qaida ties

Airline Industry Information, June 7, 2005

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Private Indian airline Jet Airways said it will sue an American firm with a similar name, Jet Airways Inc, for alleging it has ties to the al-Qaida terror network, a senior company official said Monday (6 June).

The Maryland-based company had reportedly alleged that the Indian airline laundered money for al-Qaida and that it was funded by Dawood Ibrahim, an Indian gangster, branded a global terrorist by the US.

The Indian carrier plans to take legal action against the American company, said its executive director. He also dismissed the American firm's claim before the US Patent and Trademark Office to the Jet Airways trademark, which it said it had been using since 1 December, 2002. The Indian carrier has been using the name since 1995 in advertisements and publicity material in the US, said the executive director, adding that the American firm was a shell company with no official base of business and a single office in Maryland.

((Comments on this story may be sent to aii.feedback@m2.com))