More than 30 years ago, passengers and crew members of a British Airways flight were taken hostage in Iraqi-occupied Kuwait. Now, they have filed a civil suit at the High Court in London against the British government and the airline for damages. The law firm McCue Jury & Partners announced on Monday that 94 plaintiffs have accused the British government and British Airways of deliberately endangering civilians during their ordeal. The passengers of flight BA 149 were captured in Kuwait on August 2, 1990, while on their way from London to Kuala Lumpur. Saddam Hussein’s troops had invaded Kuwait just hours earlier, leading to some passengers being held captive for over four months and used as human shields.
The plaintiffs claim that London and British Airways were aware of a possible Iraqi invasion but allowed the plane to land anyway. They allege that a covert special operations team was deployed in occupied Kuwait using the flight. One plaintiff stated that they were treated as expendable henchmen for commercial and political purposes, and that responsibility for the ordeal had been covered up for years. They hope that a victory in court will help restore trust in the political and legal process.
British government files released in November 2021 revealed that the British ambassador to Kuwait had warned of a possible Iraqi invasion on the night of August 2, 1990, but this information was not passed on to British Airways. The airline has consistently denied accusations of negligence, conspiracy, and cover-up, stating that they were not warned of the invasion.
In a previous lawsuit, the passengers had accused the British government of knowingly endangering their safety by using the flight to deploy agents and delaying takeoff. The then Foreign Secretary and previous British governments denied these claims. The law firm representing the plaintiffs has stated that they could claim an estimated average of 170,000 pounds in compensation per person.
The lawsuit seeks justice for the severe physical and psychological damage suffered by the hostages during their captivity in Kuwait. The legal battle continues as the plaintiffs seek accountability for their traumatic experience.