Iraqi Airways first flight in decades ends in Nightmare

[Grandpa +65]

Iraqi Airways first flight to London in decades ends in 'nightmare'

"The first commercial flight between Baghdad and London in 20 years has turned into a nightmare for Iraq after its national airline boss had his passport seized and a chartered plane was impounded." That's from news agency AFP (via the Ottawa Citizen), which writes Iraqi officials confirmed Iraqi Airways chief Kifah Hassan had his travel documents confiscated "after papers were served by lawyers acting for Kuwait Airways."
AFP writes that in a claim that dates back to Saddam Hussien's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Kuwait Airways says it is owed $1.2 billion after ten of its jets were "plundered" following Iraq's occupation of the country and the main airport. Now, following the Sunday incident, AFP says Iraqi Air's chief is stuck in London and airline's aircraft has been impounded while British authorities sort through the dispute.
In a statement AFP says was published in the Times of London, lawyers acting for Kuwait Air defended the action. "It was unrealistic of Iraqi Airways to think that it could start flights to a jurisdiction where it owes $1.2 billion without consequences," Chris Gooding of law firm Fasken Martineau is quoted as saying by AFP.

 

[brokeflyer]

that money should be paid to familes of U.S. soldiers killed in the war.

I think kuwait has enough of our money already.