1990 Kuwait Crisis: Why Is The UK Government & British Airways Being Sued? | Explained

A case has been filed against the airline and the government in a High Court in London.

A lawsuit has been filed against the Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Defence and British Airways. The lawsuit alleges that on August 2, 1990, all parties listed were aware of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait before the plane landed and hence, deliberately endangered the lives of the passengers.

What Happened On August 2, 1990?

On August 2, 1990, British Airways Flight 149 bound for Kuala Lumpur landed at Kuwait International Airport for a planned stop and did not take off again.

Iraqi troops had already entered Kuwait and had started working on the border. Despite this development and all other airlines ordered to fly over Kuwait, the BA flight was not diverted.

By the time the plane landed, rocket fire had already begun. The plane was evacuated but was unable to take off, as a result all those on board were taken hostage.

All 367 passengers and crew on the flight were taken hostage by Iraqi troops hours after Saddam Hussein announced his invasion of the gulf country.

The passengers then went on to be used as human shields against Western attacks on Iraqi troops during the first Gulf War. The passengers, who have now sued the government and the airline, have stated that they were also subject to torture, mock executions, rape and sexual assault and kept in near-starvation conditions.

The hostages were released after five months but the physical and psychiatric harm of the war haunts them till date.

Did The UK Government Know About Saddam Hussein's Invasion?

Yes.

The United Kingdom government, led by then PM Margaret Thatcher, was aware of Hussein's invasion in Kuwait. This revelation was made in 2021 by former PM Liz Truss.

After the release of documents to the National Archives, it was noted that the British Ambassador to Kuwait inform the UK Foreign Office of the invasion, well before BA149 landed.

However, the warning was not passed on to British Airways. Liz Truss admitted that the government has spent years trying to cover up this warning. However, she added that the government at the time “did not seek to exploit the flight in any way by any means whatsoever”.

Around 94 people have sued the government and the airline who claimed that both parties knew what was happening in Kuwait before it landed.

The passengers have claimed that the airline was aware of the invasion and had a covert special ops team on board the flight.

Nicola Dowling, 56, a member of cabin crew on flight BA149 has stated that Margaret Thatcher and British Airways are as complicit as Saddam Hussein.

"Not being believed and denied justice all these years has been hideous. It was all very well for [Margaret] Thatcher to say Saddam Hussein is hiding behind women and children. She bloody well sent us in there, presented us to him on a plate for him to use. She was as complicit in this as he was, as was BA," stated Dowling.

Official comments from the British government and British Airlines are awaited.