British Airways Flight 149
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British Airways Flight 149 was a flight between London Heathrow Airport and Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, (the former international airport for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) operated by British Airways Boeing 747-136 G-AWND. The flight never reached Kuala Lumpur after stopping for a scheduled refuelling at Kuwait International Airport, near Kuwait City, Kuwait several hours after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on the night of August 1, 1990. The aircraft operating the flight, as well as all the passengers and crew were captured by the Iraqi forces and held hostage. Although the passengers were later freed, the aircraft was destroyed, and allegations were raised that the airline deliberately stopped in Kuwait in order to transport British SAS troops to the region.
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[edit] Background
The flight left London Heathrow Airport for Kuala Lumpur at about 6.15 p.m. on August 1, 1990. The flight's scheduled stop at Kuwait City was not changed, despite media reports of the worsening political situation in the region due to Iraqi demands for Kuwait to surrender territory. At 3.00 a.m. on August 2, 1990, the flight landed at Kuwait International Airport, four hours after the Iraqi invasion began. After the passengers disembarked the aircraft, the airport was attacked by Iraqi troops and the passengers and crew of Flight 149 were detained.
[edit] Detention
After being detained, a flight attendant was reported to have been raped by the Iraqi soldiers. [1] Citizens of Western nations were taken from Kuwait to Baghdad where they were held as human shields alongside other Westerners in Kuwait at that time. Eventually most of them were released by the Iraqis before the Gulf War began.
The aircraft itself was destroyed during the Gulf War, either by Allied bombing, or by the Iraqis themselves.
[edit] Investigation
Several court actions were raised by some of the passengers of the flight against British Airways for negligence in landing at Kuwait after the Iraqi invasion, and for loss of property. Conspiracy theories allege that the United Kingdom government transported intelligence agents or SAS troops to Kuwait aboard the flight, and otherwise it would not have landed in a potential war zone. However the UK government has denied this allegation.
On July 15, 1999, French passengers won damages from British Airways to the amount of £2.5 million.
