On October 1st, as tensions in the Middle East reached a boiling point, Air France found itself in a precarious situation. An Air France jet, operating flight AF662 from Paris to Dubai, was flying over Iraqi airspace when Iran launched a barrage of missiles towards Israeli territory.
The missiles, which had to traverse Iraqi airspace to reach Israel, were launched as part of a retaliatory attack following the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. Iran claimed that 90% of the 200 missiles launched hit their targets, while the Israeli military reported that many were intercepted.
The Air France flight was passing over the south of Iraq at around 1645 GMT, just as the Iranian attack began. The airline confirmed that the flight left Iraqi airspace shortly before 1700 GMT, before the Iraqi authorities officially closed their airspace at 1756 GMT.
The incident sparked concern and led to an internal investigation by Air France. The airline stated that they had suspended all flights over Iraqi airspace at 1700 GMT, following information about the impending missile attack. Air France also confirmed that they had been avoiding airspace over Israel, Lebanon, and Iran due to the escalating tensions.
LCI, the French television channel that first reported the incident, stated that the pilots witnessed the missiles in the night sky from their cockpit and that Iraqi air traffic control had wished them “good luck”. Laurent Veque, a board member of the National Union of Airline Pilots, confirmed the incident, saying “the plane ended up in this Iraqi corridor in the middle of the hostilities launched by Iran against Israel.”
This incident highlights the delicate situation facing commercial airlines operating in regions experiencing geopolitical turmoil. Questions remain about the communication and coordination between airlines and local authorities during these tense situations, as well as the safety of commercial flights operating in areas with heightened security risks.
