Air Mauritius Ltd faced a legal setback on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, when the Court of Appeal upheld the dismissal of its appeal. The national airline had contested a Supreme Court judgment issued on August 5, 2024, which ordered it to pay Rs 3,341,517 to its former General Manager of Customer Services, Sulliman Osman Atchia, for premature and unjustified retirement.
Sulliman Osman Atchia, now 75, began working with Air Mauritius in 1972 and was dismissed in 1987. He later pursued legal action, which led to an amicable settlement on January 15, 1998, involving his reinstatement.
In 2012, Atchia initiated new legal proceedings before the Supreme Court, this time claiming he had been forced into early retirement. He argued that although the official retirement age had been extended to 65 in 2008, he was compelled to leave on August 20, 2009—more than a year before he was due to retire in September 2010.
Atchia sought compensation totaling Rs 3,665,332, citing financial losses that included Rs 1,668,587 in lost income from August 2009 to September 2010, and Rs 1,372,930 in lost retirement capital. He also demanded a monthly pension of Rs 46,665 and Rs 2 million in damages.
On August 5, 2024, Judge Sulakshna Beekarry-Sunassee ruled in Atchia’s favor, ordering Air Mauritius to adjust his pension and pay outstanding dues amounting to Rs 3,341,517. This decision was confirmed by Chief Justice Bibi Rehana Mungly-Gulbul and Justice David Chan Kan Cheong on July 30, 2025, who instructed that the payment be made by the end of August 2025.