"Russian Rocket" seeks $770,000 from British Airways
British Airways has officially apologized to former NHL star from Russia Pavel Bure, who filed a lawsuit with a Moscow court demanding the airline pay $770,000 in compensation for moral damage.
Last October the retired NHL right wing, known as the "Russian Rocket", was scheduled to fly on BA875 flight from Moscow to London, when the pilot of the aircraft allegedly mistook Bure for a Russian soccer fan, and refused to take off until the hockey star left the plane.
In a statement Thursday the British Airways said it realized how unpleasant this incident was for Bure, adding that the star was removed from the plane for security reasons, following an incident the day before involving Russian soccer fans.
On October 30, 2006 British police arrested six passengers for being drunk after BA875 flight from Moscow landed in London. The detained were all Russian soccer fans going to London for the Arsenal - CSKA Moscow match. The drunken Russian fans smoked cigarettes and were rude, disturbing other passengers on the flight.
The apology from the British company came a day later after Bure filed a lawsuit Wednesday with the Tverskoi Court in Moscow demanding British Airways pay 20 million rubles ($771,000) in compensation for moral damage.
Dmitry Ragulin, a lawyer for Bure, said that his defendant lost his connecting flight from London to Los Angeles, U.S., and spent almost the entire day at Domodedovo airport, in Moscow, waiting to board another plane.
Ragulin said that the sum of 20 million rubles could increase as his client suffered not only moral damage, but financial as well.
"On top of it all Bure lost money as he had to buy new tickets," Ragulin said adding that the date of the hearing has not been decided yet.
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