24/7 Space News
AEROSPACE
Air France says jet flew over Iraq during Iran attack on Israel
Air France says jet flew over Iraq during Iran attack on Israel
by AFP Staff Writers
Paris (AFP) Oct 9, 2024

Air France said Wednesday it had launched an inquiry into how a jet on a Paris-Dubai flight went over Iraq as Iranian missiles taking part in an attack on Israel went through the same airspace.

Iran launched a barrage of missiles toward Israeli territory on October 1 as tensions in the Middle East soared. The missiles had to cross Iraq to reach Israel.

Air France flight AF662 crossed Iraqi territory at the start of the attack, just before Air France ordered its planes to stop flying over Iraq and local authorities closed Iraqi airspace, according to the French carrier.

The LCI television channel, which first reported the incident, said the pilots saw the missiles in the night sky from their cockpit and that Iraqi air traffic control had wished them "good luck".

"On October 1, information identified an upcoming ballistic missile attack on Israel by Iran. Consequently, and without waiting for instructions from the Iraqi authorities, Air France decided to suspend flights over the country's airspace by its aircraft as of 1700 GMT," Air France told AFP in a statement.

Flight AF662 "was flying over the south of Iraq when the Iranian attack began, at around 1645 GMT. It left the country's airspace shortly before 1700 GMT. Iraqi airspace was not officially closed by the local authorities until 1756 GMT," it added.

The statement said Air France flights "already avoided Israeli, Lebanese and Iranian airspace" due to the international tensions and that "overflight of Iraqi airspace was limited to a specific corridor used by all airlines".

A company spokesperson told AFP that "an internal investigation has been opened into this incident".

The airline did not comment on whether the pilots had seen the missiles. Ballistic missiles fly at an altitude generally higher to that of commercial airliners.

A board member of the National Union of Airline Pilots, Laurent Veque, confirmed the incident saying "the plane ended up in this Iraqi corridor in the middle of the hostilities launched by Iran against Israel".

"Light must be shed on what happened", he told LCI.

Iran said it launched 200 missiles at Israel on October 1, following the September 27 killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, by an Israeli missile in Beirut. Tehran said 90 percent hit their targets, while the Israeli military said many were intercepted.

kd-sjw/jh/tw

Air France-KLM

Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
AEROSPACE
Russian jet buzzes U.S. fighter off Alaska in 'reckless, unprofessional maneuver'
Washington DC (UPI) Sep 30, 2024
A shocking new video shows a Russian fighter flying dangerously close to a U.S. Air Force jet, patrolling off the coast of Alaska, amid reports that more Russian military planes are being tracked near Alaska's air space. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, the U.S.-Canadian military alliance, which defends North American airspace, posted the 15-second video Monday. It shows the Russian jet buzzing within feet of the NORAD aircraft last week. "On Sept. 23, 2024, NORAD aircraft f ... read more

AEROSPACE
SpaceX Crew Dragon that will take Starliner astronauts home docks at ISS

SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts

ISS Crew-9 will conduct research into genetics, cardiac health, and space farming

Voyager Space executes key Bishop Airlock operations in Starlab mission prep

AEROSPACE
Northrop Grumman selected to lead production of hypersonic interceptor

In a first, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight

SpaceX Catches Starship Booster: Starship Orbiter Enters Nominal Orbit

Leicester Spinout Perpetual Atomics to Pioneer Space Nuclear Power Solutions

AEROSPACE
Crew completes simulated Mars Mission at JSC

Mars' missing atmosphere could be hiding in plain sight

Martian rocks shed light on planet's ancient climate

A Striped Surprise

AEROSPACE
China successfully retrieves first reusable test satellite Shijian-19

Xi emphasizes China's drive to lead in space exploration

China launches Yaogan 43B remote-sensing satellites from Xichang

Shenzhou-18 Crew Tests Fire Alarms and Conducts Medical Procedures in Space

AEROSPACE
BlackSky prices $40M Public Offering of Common Stock

Vodafone and Intelsat Expand Satellite Connectivity for Remote Areas and Emergency Response

Sidus strengthens LizzieSat operations with Neuraspace partnership

Iridium approves $500M stock buyback, total program reaches $1.5B

AEROSPACE
XDLINX Space Labs secures $7 million in seed funding led by Ashish Kacholia

Microsatellite project to track space objects over Canada and Antarctica

Holographic 3D printing has the potential to revolutionize multiple industries

Advanced Vehicle Classification Model launched for SAR imagery by SATIM

AEROSPACE
How the Building Blocks of Life Arrived on Earth Through Primitive Asteroids

Exoplanet map reveals Neptunian Ridge separating planetary regions

This rocky planet around a white dwarf resembles Earth - 8 billion years from now

Astronomers catch a glimpse of a uniquely inflated and asymmetric exoplanet

AEROSPACE
Technicians prep Europa Clipper for propellant loading

Volcanoes may help reveal interior heat on Jupiter moon

JunoCam identifies new volcanic feature on Io

Mystery of Trans-Neptunian Orbits Solved by Stellar Flyby

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.