On October 1st, as tensions in the Middle East escalated dramatically, Air France found itself in a precarious situation. An Air France jet, flight AF662 from Paris to Dubai, was flying over Iraqi airspace when Iran launched a barrage of missiles targeting Israeli territory.
These missiles, part of a retaliatory strike following the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, traversed Iraqi airspace en route to Israel. Iran claimed that 90% of the 200 missiles launched successfully hit their targets, though the Israeli military reported that many were intercepted.
The Air France flight was over southern Iraq around 1645 GMT, coinciding with the start of the Iranian attack. The airline confirmed that the aircraft exited Iraqi airspace shortly before 1700 GMT, just prior to the Iraqi authorities officially closing their airspace at 1756 GMT.
This incident prompted an internal investigation by Air France. The airline announced the suspension of all flights over Iraqi airspace at 1700 GMT, following alerts about the impending missile attack. Air France had already been avoiding airspace over Israel, Lebanon, and Iran due to rising tensions.
According to LCI, the French television channel that first reported the event, the pilots observed the missiles lighting up the night sky from their cockpit, and Iraqi air traffic control wished them “good luck.” Laurent Veque, a board member of the National Union of Airline Pilots, confirmed the occurrence, stating, “the plane ended up in this Iraqi corridor amid the hostilities launched by Iran against Israel.”
This incident underscores the challenges faced by commercial airlines operating in geopolitically volatile regions. It raises critical questions about communication and coordination between airlines and local authorities during crises, as well as the overall safety of commercial flights in high-risk areas.
