The wreckage of BA Flight 149 at Kuwait International Airport, taken after the end of the Gulf War.

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, several hours after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on the night of August 1, 1990. The aircraft operating the flight, its passengers and crew, were captured by Iraqi forces and the passengers and crew held hostage. One passenger, a member of the Kuwaiti royal family, was executed by the Iraqis.^[1] Although the remaining passengers were later freed, the aircraft was destroyed, and allegations were raised that the airline deliberately not diverted in order to insert British SAS troops into the country. is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... Kuwait City Kuwait City (also Al-Kuwait - الكويت), population 32,403 (2005 Census), is the capital of the emirate of Kuwait and part of the Al-Asimah governorate. ... The Boeing 747, commonly nicknamed the Jumbo Jet, is a long-haul, widebody commercial airliner manufactured by Boeing. ... For the 1930s airline of similar name, see British Airways Ltd. ... Image File history File links BA_Flight_149. ... Image File history File links BA_Flight_149. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... “Heathrow” redirects here. ... Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (ICAO airport code: SZB) is an airport located in Subang Jaya, Malaysia. ... Nickname: Motto: Maju dan makmur (Malay: Progress and Prosper) Location in Malaysia Coordinates: , Country State Establishment 1857 Granted city status 1974 Government  - Mayor (Datuk Bandar) Datuk Abdul Hakim Borhan From 14 December 2006 Area  - City 243. ... For the 1930s airline of similar name, see British Airways Ltd. ... The Boeing 747, commonly nicknamed the Jumbo Jet, is a long-haul, widebody commercial airliner manufactured by Boeing. ... Kuwait International Airport is located in Al-Maqwa, Kuwait, near Kuwait City. ... Kuwait City Kuwait City (also Al-Kuwait - الكويت), population 32,403 (2005 Census), is the capital of the emirate of Kuwait and part of the Al-Asimah governorate. ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... The Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) is the principal special forces unit of the British Army. ...

Background

The flight left London Heathrow Airport for Kuala Lumpur via Kuwait and Madras around 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. is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ...

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. Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ...

The aircraft itself was destroyed during the Gulf War, either by Allied bombing, or by the Iraqis themselves.

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. is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

See also

• Accidents and incidents in aviation

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

External links

• BBC News- "BA loses Iraq hostage appeal "
• BBC News - "UK hostages describe Kuwait ordeal (16/10/2006)"

References