An Australian brain surgeon whose pinky finger was jammed in a plane's fold-out tray table is suing over his resulting physical and psychological injuries.

Dr David Walker says he was flying with Austrian Airlines from Brisbane to Manchester, England, via Bangkok and Vienna on July 5, 2016, when his finger was snared by a collapsing tray table.

David Walker says he was flying from Bangkok to Vienna on Austrian Airlines when the accident occurred.

In a statement of claim filed in the Queensland Federal Court, the Brisbane-based neurosurgeon says the cabin crew had folded out the horizontal table tray from his armrest before serving an in-flight meal during the Bangkok to Vienna leg of his trip.

But the cabin crew did not return to retract his table tray after the meal, which stopped Dr Walker from reclining his business class seat.