Nora Fatehi faces Rs 3 crore defamation suit over ‘Lego airplane’ remark

An aviation company has filed a Rs 3 crore civil defamation suit against Bollywood actor Nora Fatehi, alleging that her social media remarks describing one of its chartered aircraft as a “toy” and a “Lego airplane” damaged the company’s reputation and business.

Dunes Aviation filed the suit at a Gandhinagar court, where Senior Civil Judge R Agarwal is scheduled to hear the matter on September 25.

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According to the lawsuit, Nora recorded videos aboard a Cessna Citation CJ2 during a Mumbai-Jaipur flight in December last year. She allegedly described the aircraft as “miniature”, a “toy” and a “Lego airplane” before sharing the videos on Instagram.

The company claimed that Nora’s comments, which it described as “reckless” and made without technical knowledge or verification, led to booking cancellations and caused reputational and commercial damage.

Dunes Aviation alleged that it has since experienced a 15 to 20 per cent decline in bookings, alongside an increase in cancellations. The company argued that Nora’s large social media following amplified the impact of her remarks.

It also maintained that the aircraft was appropriately sized for the journey and was fully certified by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), airworthy and operated legally under a valid Non-Scheduled Operator’s Permit.

In addition to seeking Rs 3 crore in damages, Dunes Aviation has asked the court to direct the removal of social media content containing the remarks or references to the aircraft. It has also sought a public clarification from Nora.

The suit was filed in April this year.