Airlines suspend flights to Iraq’s Baghdad airport after jet is hit by gunfire
A commercial jet carrying 154 passengers was struck by gunfire as it landed at Baghdad International Airport, officials said Tuesday, adding to fears that Iraq’s most important transportation hub remains vulnerable to militant attacks. One passenger, a 6-year-old girl, was lightly injured when at least three bullets struck the plane on Monday, airline and Iraqi officials […]Kareem Fahim reports for the New York Times:
A commercial jet carrying 154 passengers was struck by gunfire as it landed at Baghdad International Airport, officials said Tuesday, adding to fears that Iraq’s most important transportation hub remains vulnerable to militant attacks. One passenger, a 6-year-old girl, was lightly injured when at least three bullets struck the plane on Monday, airline and Iraqi officials said. The plane, a 737-800 operated by Flydubai, a budget carrier based in the United Arab Emirates, landed safely.
The airline said that damage “consistent with small-arms fire” was discovered on the fuselage of the plane after it landed at 1:50 p.m. The airline and at least a half-dozen others, including the national airline, canceled flights to and from Baghdad on Tuesday. Officials did not say who had carried out the shooting, and there were no immediate claims of responsibility.
