Calls for investigation into Emirates airline after hostess falls to her death

The International Campaign to Boycott the United Arab Emirates has called upon the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to investigate the security and safety systems used by Emirates airline, media sources have revealed. The call comes in the wake of the death of 46-year-old Bulgarian air hostess Elena Vasileva who fell from an Emirates aircraft at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda last Wednesday.

Vasileva apparently opened an emergency door and jumped from the Boeing 777 before the start of flight EK730 to Dubai. She was taken to Kisubi Hospital, about 16 km from the airport, where she was pronounced dead.

The Dubai-based airline has not issued any clarification about the circumstances surrounding the incident that led to the hostess’s death. “One of our crew members fell from an open door while boarding the plane,” is all that Emirates has said. The boycott campaign insisted that the incident must be investigated thoroughly.

In February, the campaign published a new list of UAE companies which must be boycotted because of Abu Dhabi’s role in the Yemen war and its alleged crimes against humanity targeting unarmed civilians. The list includes large companies affiliated to the Dubai Investment Authority, part of the Dubai government; among them are banks, financial and real estate investment institutions. Emirates airline is also on the list.

Read: Emirates Airline bans Tunisian women from travelling to Dubai

The International Campaign to Boycott the UAE was launched in September last year in Paris as an initiative of human rights activists and institutions. The campaign was expanded across a number of countries around the world and has organised protests against slavery and human trafficking in the UAE, which is said to be one of the world’s worst offenders for trafficking. The UAE government is also alleged to be one of the main supporters of terrorist groups in Syria and other parts of the Middle East.