Flydubai flight FZ 215, with 154 passengers onboard, was struck by gunfire as it landed at Baghdad International Airport on Monday. The UAE airline, along with Emirates and Etihad Airways, has suspended flights to and from Baghdad, taking the necessary safety measures compliant with a UAE General Civil Aviation Authority directive.
Two passengers onboard were reported to have minor injuries by the gunfire, however an airline official said although the matter is still under investigation, the preliminary investigations suggest that the aircraft may not have been the target of the small arms fire and that the shots may have been unintentional. Al-Bayan, an Iraqi newspaper, stated that it was most likely from a nearby wedding celebration.
The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has expressed its grave concern over the firing, and summoned Iraqi Ambassador to the UAE Muwaffaq Mehdi Abboud. UAE’s Mohammed Mer Al Raisi, Undersecretary at the ministry, demanded that the Iraqi authorities launch a “comprehensive investigation in order to identify all the circumstances surrounding the shooting incident, and take necessary measures to enforce international agreements on civil aviation safety and provide the required guarantees and protection”.
Passengers who purchased tickets to Baghdad on January 27 and 28 can re-book to another point in Iraq or will be offered a refund.
Other airlines that implemented security measures by canceling flights to Baghdad include Turkish Airlies, Middle East Airlines and Gulf Air. Qantas, Lufthansa, Royal Jordanian, Virgin Atlantic and Air France all chose alternative routes as to avoid flying over Iraqi and Syrian airspace. The US Federal Aviation Administration ordered American carriers not to fly below 30,000 feet when crossing Iraqi airspace because of “the potentially hazardous situation created by the armed conflict in Iraq”.
