Passengers and crew members of British Airways Flight 149, who were taken hostage in Kuwait over 30 years ago during the Gulf War, are gearing up to take legal action against both the UK government and the airline. The law firm McCue Jury and Partners is representing the victims who seek to uncover the full truth behind the incident and receive proper compensation for allowing the flight to land in Kuwait.
On August 2, 1990, British Airways Flight 149 landed at Kuwait International Airport as Iraqi armed forces were invading, leading to the Gulf War. More than 300 people on board were detained by Iraqi troops and used as “human shields” by Saddam Hussein against Western attacks.
The UK government has previously shifted responsibility for the ordeal onto the Iraqi authorities at the time, while British Airways claimed it was unaware of the invasion.
However, documents released in November 2021 revealed that the British ambassador in Kuwait had warned the Foreign Office about Iraqi forces crossing the border an hour before the flight landed. This critical information was not relayed to British Airways, preventing the airline from taking any action to divert the flight.
McCue Jury and Partners argue that evidence suggests both the government and British Airways knew about the invasion when they permitted the plane to land because it was being used for a “special military operation” to insert a team into Kuwait.
The law firm is urging more passengers and crew members from the flight to join the legal claim, which it intends to bring to the High Court in London in the coming months. Each hostage may seek an estimated average of £170,000 in damages.
Matthew Jury, managing partner of McCue Jury and Partners, emphasized the need for justice for the victims and survivors, stating that the lives and safety of innocent civilians were compromised for the sake of an undisclosed military operation, which has been concealed and denied for over three decades.
