Air France has opened an investigation into how a jet flying from Paris to Dubai went over Iraq as Iranian missiles fired at Israel crossed the same airspace, the airline said Wednesday.
Iran launched dozens of missiles towards Israel on October 1 in what it said was a response to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and others in Lebanon. The missiles had to pass through Iraq’s airspace to reach Israel.
Air France Flight AF662 was flying over Iraq when the Iranian attack began at around 4:45 p.m. UTC (11.45 a.m. ET) and left Iraqi airspace “shortly before” 5 p.m. UTC (12 p.m. ET), the airline told CNN in a statement.
Iraqi airspace was not officially closed by local authorities until 5:56 p.m. UTC (12:56 p.m. ET), it added.
“Thanks to the information we gathered we were able to identify a forthcoming attack on Israel by Iran, involving the launch of ballistic missiles,” Air France said.
“As a result, and without waiting for instructions from the Iraqi authorities, Air France decided to suspend the overflight of the country’s airspace by its aircraft from 5 p.m. UTC [12 p.m. ET],” it added.
Emirates Airbus A380 double decker passenger aircraft spotted flying in the air between the blue sky and the clouds, on final approach for landing on the runway of London Heathrow Airport LHR in the United Kingdom. The superjumbo wide body airplane has the registration tail number A6-EUI and is powered by 4x Engine Alliance EA GP7270 jet engines. The long haul airliner is arriving from Dubai. Emirates EK is one of the flag carrier airline in the United Arab Emirates UAE owned by the Government of Dubai Investment Corporation of Dubai. The airline is the 4th largest in the world with main hub Dubai International Airport DXB, with a fleet of 249 planes. London, UK on September 2024 (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The airline said its jets “were already avoiding Israeli, Lebanese and Iranian airspace,” and that Flight AF662 was flying through “a special corridor used by all airlines.”
Some hours before the strike, the White House said it had “indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel.”
Air France stressed that a number of its other flights had been diverted to avoid the region on the night of the attack.
“Air France constantly monitors geopolitical developments in the areas it serves and flies over, to ensure the highest levels of flight safety and security,” it said, adding “the safety of its customers and crews is its top priority.”
French television channel LCI, which first reported the incident, said Air France pilots saw the missiles in the night sky from the cockpit, and that Iraqi air traffic control had wished the pilots “good luck.”
