Guimei
Guimei v. General Electric Co.
Opinion
Opinion
Jackson, J.
INTRODUCTION
Plaintiffs Zhang Guimei (B201016), Sri Huntati (B201021), Shi Haiyan (B201023) and Xiang Cheng (B201212) appeal from an order staying their consolidated actions on the ground of forum non conveniens. The order was made on the motion of defendants General Electric Co., Bombardier, Inc., Bombardier Aerospace Corporation and China Eastern Airlines Co., Ltd. We affirm.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
A. The Parties and the Airplane Crash
On November 21, 2004, China Eastern Yunnan Airlines (CEYA) flight No. MU5210, flying from Baotou in Inner Mongolia to Shanghai, crashed into a lake shortly after takeoff. Forty-seven passengers, six crew members and two people on the ground were killed. With the exception of one Indonesian passenger, all of the victims were Chinese citizens. All of the passengers purchased their tickets in China. All of the crew members were licensed by the General Civil Aviation Administration of China.
CEYA’s hub of operations and repair and maintenance facilities were located at Wu Jia Ba Airport in Kunming, Yunnan, China. The airplane involved in the crash was operated and maintained in China exclusively. In May 2005, defendant China…