British Airways under legal challenge for its role in the 1990 Kuwaiti hostage situation
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In a shocking turn of events, British Airways is once again grappling with a legal hurricane in the High Court of London. The target of this tempest? The controversial decision to permit flight BA149 to touch down in Kuwait on August 2, 1990 – days that marked the brutal onset of the Iraqi invasion.
An unlikely alliance of passengers and crew members, who find themselves linked by a shared nightmare, have launched a class-action lawsuit against the airline, seeking justice nearly three decades after the harrowing event.
The plaintiffs maintain that British Airways showed a staggering disregard for their safety by allowing the flight to take off despite clear signs of an impending Iraqi military incursion. Like a tragic rehearsal for a horrifying Storm of the Century, the plane was swiftly seized post-landing at Kuwait International Airport, with passengers taken captive by Iraqi forces.
Their legal claim paints a graphic picture of inhumane treatment, with accusations of torture, mock executions, assault, and mental anguish suffered at the hands of their captors.
Beyond the physical hardships, the lawsuit also accuses the airline of collaborating with the British government. The alleged collaboration took the form of allowing British intelligence agents, rumored to be members of the top-secret "Increment" special forces unit, to utilize the civilian flight as a covert cover for an expedition to Iraq via Kuwait.
Lawyer Anne Stead, the fearless advocate for these survivors, argues that the presence of these covert operatives – supposedly not in the initial flight manifest – turned every passenger into a glaring target for the Iraqi forces. Stead further asserted that a British official stationed in Kuwait specifically advised British Airways against landing any flights post-midnight on August 2, 1990. Yet, flight BA149 descended upon Kuwait City at a chilling 4:15 AM, making it the sole aircraft to set anchor in the city after the invasion had commenced.
Standing firm against the allegations, British Airways (now a member of the International Airlines Group or IAG) dismisses the lawsuit as an unscrupulous invasion of the judicial process. David Platt, the airline’s legal counsel, and his team assert that many of the claims are outdated because of the elapsed time and point out that some crew members had previously accepted financial settlements, hinting at a previous settlement.
In formal court documents, British Airways insists that it took all necessary steps to ensure the safety of its passengers and affirms its ignorance about the invasion's commencement before the plane's landing. The airline further denies any complicity or awareness of intelligence personnel scaling the flight or receipt of any warnings regarding flight operations in Kuwait.
The verdict of this case may stir up agonizing recollections of the war-torn Gulf era, offering fresh insights into the contentious questions of responsibility and the crucial actions taken by British Airways and the UK government during the fateful hours leading up to the invasion.
- In the ongoing court case, British Airways, now part of the International Airlines Group (IAG), has received criticism for its role in the 1990 flight BA149 to Kuwait, which allegedly led to unjustified increments of crime and injustice.
- The plaintiffs claim that British Airways' decision to permit the flight to continue, despite clear signs of an impending Iraqi invasion, was negligent and contributed to the subsequent resolution of their captivity by Iraqi forces.
- The lawsuit uncovers a general-news controversy involving the allegation that British intelligence agents, rumored to be members of the top-secret "Increment" special forces unit, utilized the civilian flight for covert operations in Iraq via Kuwait.
- The court proceedings may bring to light politically sensitive issues surrounding the actions taken by British Airways and the UK government during the fateful hours leading up to the Iraqi invasion, providing new perspectives on the responsible parties involved.
