Andrea Bocelli is suing executives at an air charter company for causing him “undue anxiety” during a recent flight.
The 64-year-old classical music star, who is blind, filed the lawsuit against Private Jet Services of Seabrook in New Hampshire federal court last month.
He alleged he was given an older, noisier plane than agreed in the contract and that the firm violated its terms as a crew member announced the ride from California to Cleveland would be bumpy.
According to the lawsuit, Bocelli experiences discomfort and fear during flights due to his impaired vision and asks the crew to refrain from on-board weather announcements “to avoid causing undue anxiety”.
The famed tenor is asking for treble damages of his original refund of $569,800 (£506,000) that he paid for 15 flights. The sum reportedly covers legal fees, damages, and the cost of alternative flight arrangements.
In addition, Bocelli claimed his representative employed the firm to provide flights for his November and December U.S. tour dates last year but asked the jets “ideally should not be ‘older’ than four years”.
He alleged that during the California to Cleveland trip, he was provided with a Falcon 2000 that was manufactured in 1996.
A spokesperson for Private Jet Services apparently apologised but was unable to find an acceptable aircraft for the final five of his tour dates. He claimed they cancelled the flights for the shows but did not provide a refund, forcing him to contract a new company that cost him more than $300,000 (£266,400) out of his own pocket.