Article 33 Montreal Convention

Article 33 of the Montreal Convention (Convention For the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air) is titled Jurisdiction. It is under Chapter III (Liability of the Carrier and Extent of Compensation for Damage).

1. An action for damages must be brought, at the option of the plaintiff, in the territory of one of the States Parties, either before the court of the domicile of the carrier or of its principal place of business, or where it has a place of business through which the contract has been made or before the court at the place of destination.

2. In respect of damage resulting from the death or injury of a passenger, an action may be brought before one of the courts mentioned in paragraph 1 of this Article, or in the territory of a State Party in which at the time of the accident the passenger has his or her principal and permanent
residence and to or from which the carrier operates services for the carriage of passengers by air,either on its own aircraft, or on another carrier’s aircraft pursuant to a commercial agreement, and in which that carrier conducts its business of carriage of passengers by air from premises leased or owned by the carrier itself or by another carrier with which it has a commercial agreement.

3. For the purposes of paragraph 2,

(a) „commercial agreement“ means an agreement, other than an agency agreement, made between carriers and relating to the provision of their joint services for carriage of
passengers by air;

(b) „principal and permanent residence“ means the one fixed and permanent abode of the passenger at the time of the accident. The nationality of the passenger shall not be the
determining factor in this regard.

4. Questions of procedure shall be governed by the law of the court seized of the case.

See also: Article 32 Montreal Convention