Air France plane flew over Iraq during Iranian missile attack on Israel

The aircraft was flying over southern Iraq when the first Iranian missile launch was reported. The plane was able to leave the country’s airspace a little later. A company spokesperson announced the opening of an internal investigation.

An Air France plane was over Iraq when Iran fired its first missiles towards Israel on October 1, revealed the LCI channel on Wednesday October 9. Contacted by franceinfo, the airline confirmed that “this flight, linking Paris Charles-de-Gaulle to Dubai, was flying over southern Iraq when the Iranian attack began, around 4:45 p.m. universal time.”

Flights over Lebanese and Iranian airspace were already suspended, explains Air France, while flights over Iraqi airspace “was limited to a specific corridor” used by all airlines. “On October 1, 2024, information identified an upcoming attack on Israel by Iran with the dispatch of ballistic missilesrecalls the airline. Consequently, and without waiting for instructions from the Iraqi authorities, Air France has decided to suspend flights over the country’s airspace by its planes from 5 p.m. universal time (i.e. 7 p.m. in Paris).”specifies the company in its press release.

The attack had already started a quarter of an hour ago, since the first missiles were reported at 4:45 p.m. universal time. This Boeing 777-300ER was, at the time, near the Iraqi town of Al-Amara, at an altitude of approximately 35,000 feet, or 10.5 kilometers.

Radar tracking confirms that the aircraft left Iraqi airspace around 5 p.m. “Iraqi airspace was not officially closed by local authorities until 5:56 p.m. universal time”specifies Air France, ensuring that it has taken the lead because “the safety of its customers and crews is its top priority”. The company adds that two flights were diverted in this context: flight AF218 between Paris and Bombay turned around, while flight AF257 between Singapore and Paris landed in Delhi, in order to refuel, because the route had had to be laid down to avoid the area.

However, a company spokesperson told AFP that an internal investigation had been opened into this event. Questioned by LCI, Laurent Veque, member of the office of the National Union of Airline Pilots, declared that “the facts are established and known, the plane found itself in this Iraqi corridor in the middle of the hostilities unleashed by Iran against Israel”. He wishes that the “light be shed” on these events. Contacted by franceinfo, the Air France Pilots Union did not wish to comment on the matter.