British Airways is fighting a lawsuit before the Supreme Court, filed by passengers and crew, who were held hostage when one of its flights in Kuwait fell in 1990 in conjunction with Iraq’s invasion of the country at the beginning of the Gulf War.
More than 100 people – including passengers and crew on board that flight – sue the airline due to allegations that it allowed the plane to land despite the warnings that the invasion was imminent.
“While they were held hostages, one or more passengers were subjected to inhumane treatment and assault, including sexual assault, rape, fake execution, and other forms of torture and ill -treatment,” said the lawsuit.
Prosecutors accused the British Airlines of “coordinating” with the UK government through the alleged approval to transfer spies secretly on a intelligence mission on the trip, making them a target for Iraq, while the British company denies these accusations.
“Late lawsuit”
The defense lawsuit stated to the British company that the passenger claims were very late, while the crew had previously accepted the settlement payments from the airline.
The lawsuit claimed that the members of the group, who are part of an alleged unit of the British Special Forces known as the “increase”, were not in the list of passengers that documented the passengers, but the pilot was aware of their existence.
The British Airlines said in its file that it had taken reasonable steps to ensure the safety of those on board, and that it was not informed that the Iraqi forces had crossed the border before the plane landed.
The British company denies that it is a party to any agreement on “the increase” or to have any knowledge of alleged spies.
According to her defense file, the passengers’ claims fell by limitations according to a maximum of two years, and also said that the employees had previously accepted payments ranging between 3 thousand and 15 thousand pounds in “a complete and final settlement as a result of their negative experiences related to the plane” and their detainees in Kuwait and Iraq.
British Airlines also stated that previous lawsuits were submitted to no avail in England, France and Texas. The court records showed that the defense documents of the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development, and the Ministry of Defense were submitted on Friday, but were not available to the public immediately. The UK government refused to comment.
