Qatar Airways executive says invasive gynecological examinations of passengers won’t be repeated

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A senior Qatar Airways executive has told an Australian Senate inquiry that there will be no repeat of an incident at Doha’s international airport in 2020 in which female passengers were subjected to invasive gynecological examinations. Australian Transport Minister Catherine King said three weeks ago that the examinations of 13 Australian women who had boarded a Qatar Airways plane to Sydney were a factor in her decision to refuse the airline, which is owned by the Qatari government, additional flights to Australia. The incident occurred when authorities were looking for the mother of a newborn baby found abandoned in an airport trash can. A Qatar Airways senior vice president described it as “a one-off.”