If the altitude made it possible to avoid the worst, the presence of this plane in such tense airspace caused significant concern. While many airlines had diverted their flights, the Air France Boeing 777 continued its routeto the great astonishment of the pilots’ unions, explains The Point. “It’s incomprehensible“, was indignant Laurent Véque, member of the office of the National Union of Airline Pilots, Air France section. The pilots’ unions have also requested the opening of an in-depth investigation.
It was the flight tracking data that did not fail to reveal a situation that was surprising to say the least. Indeed, Air France flight AF662 Paris-Dubai was one of the last to use the Iraqi corridor before its closure. Minutes later, British Airways flight BA107 London-Dubai, which was following a similar route, was diverted. Many other planes also turned around or landed at safer airports. Why did the Air France plane continue on its route? The airline justifies this decision by explaining that the Flight AF662 left Iraqi airspace shortly before 5 p.m.or around ten minutes after the missiles were fired.
Exceptional visibility on current events
The Boeing 777 pilots had a breathtaking view of the spectacle. At an altitude of 35,000 feet, Iranian missiles, comparable to small space rockets,
were perfectly visible. Other airlines, such as Qatar Airways, also flew over the area after the incident, but with a delay of a few tens of minutes.
If the distance was sufficient to avoid any immediate danger, the incident nevertheless raises many questions about
the ability of airlines to anticipate risks and to take the necessary measures to protect their passengers and crews.
Was the risk calculated?
Flying over a conflict zone is always a riskeven if the pilots are experienced and the planes are equipped with the latest technology. The history of civil aviation is unfortunately strewn with disasters linked to errors of judgment or friendly fire.
This was for example the case of MH17 in 2014. The Malaysia Airlines plane was flying over Ukraine whenhe was hit by a Russian missile. The attack left no survivors among the 298 passengers and crew members. Three men were also sentenced to life in 2022 for downing the plane.
