LONDON – Passengers and crew members from a British Airways flight, who were taken hostage during Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, have initiated legal action against the UK government and the airline. The announcement was made by the law firm McCue Jury & Partners on Monday.
The incident occurred on August 2, 1990, when BA flight 149, en route to Kuala Lumpur, landed in Kuwait just hours after Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded the country. Upon landing, 367 passengers and crew members were detained, with some held for over four months. During their captivity, they were used as human shields against Western military attacks during the first Gulf War.
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Ninety-four of the hostages have filed a civil claim in the High Court in London. The claim accuses the UK government and British Airways of “deliberately endangering” civilians by allowing the flight to land despite knowing about the invasion. The lawsuit alleges that the flight was used to “insert a covert special ops team into occupied Kuwait.”
“All of the claimants suffered severe physical and psychiatric harm during their ordeal, the consequences of which are still felt today,” stated the law firm.
Barry Manners, one of the passengers on the flight and a claimant, said, “We were not treated as citizens but as expendable pawns for commercial and political gain. A victory over years of cover-up and bare-faced denial will help restore trust in our political and judicial process.”
Government files released in November 2021 revealed that the UK ambassador to Kuwait had informed London about the Iraqi incursion before the flight landed. However, this information was not passed on to British Airways. There are also allegations that the government knowingly put passengers at risk by using the flight to deploy undercover operatives and delaying take-off to allow them to board, claims which the government has denied.
The UK government has refused to comment on ongoing legal matters. British Airways has consistently denied accusations of negligence, conspiracy, and cover-up. The airline did not respond to a request for comment but stated last year that the records released in 2021 “confirmed British Airways was not warned about the invasion.”
McCue Jury & Partners previously announced in September their intention to file the suit, estimating that each hostage might claim an average of £170,000 ($213,000) in damages. In 2003, a French court ordered British Airways to pay 1.67 million euros to the flight’s French hostages, citing a “serious failure” in its obligations by landing the plane. This legal action marks a significant step for the former hostages in seeking accountability and redress for their prolonged suffering and trauma.
