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Iraq's Transport Minister Ameri apologizes for MEA flight incident

09-03-2014 | 13:03

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Iraq's Transport Minister Ameri apologizes for MEA flight incident

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Iraq's Transport Minister Hadi Ameri held on Sunday a press conference at Baghdad International airport in which he apologized from the passengers who were on board of a Middle East Airlines (MEA) flight that was denied permission to land in Baghdad for not carrying his son on board.

He also noted that investigations were being launched in this regard, adding that he will transport on his own expenses the Iraqi travelers who were stuck at Beirut international airport.

Ameri concluded by saying that he "will bring his own son to justice should investigations prove that he has anything to do in the incident."

On Thursday, Iraqi authorities denied permission to a plane belonging to Lebanon's national carrier to land in Baghdad after a son of an Iraqi minister missed the flight, Middle East Airline said in a statement.

In Baghdad, Ali Musawi, the adviser to Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said the premier ordered those behind the decision to force the MEA plane to turn back to Beirut fired. He also formed a committee to investigate and ordered the passengers involved to be flown to Iraq aboard an Iraqi Airways flight for free.

An MEA plane scheduled to leave Beirut on Thursday at 12:46 p.m. (1046 GMT, 5:46 a.m. EST) was delayed for six minutes because of a missing passenger. The Beirut-based airline identified the missing passenger as a son of Iraq's Transport Minister Hadi Ameri.

Twenty minutes after the plane's departure, the head of MEA in Baghdad contacted the pilot, saying that Iraqi authorities would not allow the plane to land at Baghdad International Airport without Ameri's son on board. The plane, carrying 71 passengers, returned to Beirut.

Ameri's adviser said the MEA plane turned back because of maintenance work on the runway.

AP/LBCI

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