Why are victims of 1990 Kuwait hostage crisis suing British Airways?

Jack Dutton

Jul 2, 2024

The Royal Courts of Justice in London, England. Passengers and crew filed a civil claim in the High Court, accusing Britain's government and British Airways of "deliberately endangering" civilians in the 1990 British Airways hostage situation in Kuwait, in this untitled image. — The Royal Courts of Justice in London, England - stock photo

Passengers and crew held hostage by Iraqi armed forces in 1990 after a British Airways flight landed in Kuwait are suing the airline and the UK government for “deliberately endangering them.”

British law firm McCue Jury & Partners, representing the 91 plaintiffs who filed a civil suit at the High Court in London, announced the legal action Monday.

On Aug. 1, 1990, Flight BA149 departed from London Heathrow for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, carrying 367 passengers and 18 crew members. It made a refueling stop in Kuwait. The claimants who had been aboard the plane allege that the UK government and British Airways knew that Kuwait had been overrun by Iraqi forces after Saddam Hussein's invasion of the country.

McCue Jury & Partners said in a statement that BA149 was used to secretly transport a special ops team made up of former special forces and security services for immediate and covert deployment to the battlefield, despite the risk posed to civilians onboard.