A Qantas Airways subsidiary must compensate a former health and safety worker who was fired in early 2020 for advising staff not to clean planes arriving from China due to covid-19 concerns, a court ruled this month.

The District Court of New South Wales fined the ground services operation of Australia’s flag carrier a record A$250,000 (£129,000) on 5 March, and awarded Theo Seremetides A$21,000 (£11,000) for economic loss, hurt, and humiliation.