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| Airlines Suspend Flights to Iraq’s Baghdad Airport After Jet Is Hit by Gunfire | Airlines Suspend Flights to Iraq’s Baghdad Airport After Jet Is Hit by Gunfire |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| BAGHDAD — 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. | BAGHDAD — 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. | 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. | 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. | Officials did not say who had carried out the shooting, and there were no immediate claims of responsibility. |
| Concerns about the safety of air traffic intensified greatly when the Islamic State group began capturing territory across Iraq more than six months ago, especially given the mounting evidence that the militants have acquired sophisticated antiaircraft weapons. | Concerns about the safety of air traffic intensified greatly when the Islamic State group began capturing territory across Iraq more than six months ago, especially given the mounting evidence that the militants have acquired sophisticated antiaircraft weapons. |
| The vulnerability of Baghdad’s airport has been of particular concern. The complex sits between the capital and its western suburbs, including farmlands that are periodically infiltrated by militants despite months of effort by Iraqi troops to secure Baghdad. Farther to the west, Islamic State fighters still control several strongholds in Anbar Province, including the city of Falluja, a 45-minute drive from Baghdad. | The vulnerability of Baghdad’s airport has been of particular concern. The complex sits between the capital and its western suburbs, including farmlands that are periodically infiltrated by militants despite months of effort by Iraqi troops to secure Baghdad. Farther to the west, Islamic State fighters still control several strongholds in Anbar Province, including the city of Falluja, a 45-minute drive from Baghdad. |
| The airport also serves as a logistical lifeline for military operations throughout the country, including for the United States. Over the past few months, Iraqi and American officials have delivered repeated assurances that the airport is secure, in an acknowledgment of the potential psychological impact of any attack on the facility or commercial aircraft. | The airport also serves as a logistical lifeline for military operations throughout the country, including for the United States. Over the past few months, Iraqi and American officials have delivered repeated assurances that the airport is secure, in an acknowledgment of the potential psychological impact of any attack on the facility or commercial aircraft. |
| Early last summer, when advances by the Islamic State brought the militants within 15 miles of the airport, the Pentagon sent Apache attack helicopters, drones and 200 soldiers to defend the complex, believing it was vulnerable. | Early last summer, when advances by the Islamic State brought the militants within 15 miles of the airport, the Pentagon sent Apache attack helicopters, drones and 200 soldiers to defend the complex, believing it was vulnerable. |
| Even as the airport was defended from being overrun, pilots still complained of being targeted by small-arms fire from areas surrounding the airport that have proven difficult to secure, including the Abu Ghraib district. | Even as the airport was defended from being overrun, pilots still complained of being targeted by small-arms fire from areas surrounding the airport that have proven difficult to secure, including the Abu Ghraib district. |
| In August, an Iraqi Airways captain told colleagues that his plane had been struck by gunfire as it approached the airport but had landed safely. Pilots at the time complained that airport officials were trying to play down the shooting to avoid scaring airlines away from the country. | |
| The director of Iraqi Airways, the national carrier, denied that report of a shooting, blaming rumormongering by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. | The director of Iraqi Airways, the national carrier, denied that report of a shooting, blaming rumormongering by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. |
| A pilot who regularly flies to Baghdad Airport said that because of winds on Monday, the Flydubai flight had used an approach that brought the plane over Abu Ghraib. The pilot requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the shooting. | A pilot who regularly flies to Baghdad Airport said that because of winds on Monday, the Flydubai flight had used an approach that brought the plane over Abu Ghraib. The pilot requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the shooting. |
| The passenger who was struck, Fatima Tabra, was sitting toward the front of the plane. She suffered light grazes to one of her hands, caused by bits of plastic that sprayed when one of bullets pierced the fuselage, according to her father, Ahmed Tabra. | |
| Mr. Tabra, who was not on the plane, said his family had said that the plane was struck about 10 minutes before landing. | Mr. Tabra, who was not on the plane, said his family had said that the plane was struck about 10 minutes before landing. |
| After the bullet sliced through the airplane, leaving a hole, the slug fell at Fatima’s feet, her father said. | After the bullet sliced through the airplane, leaving a hole, the slug fell at Fatima’s feet, her father said. |
| A State Department spokesman in Washington said in an email on Tuesday: “Local airport officials have informed our embassy in Baghdad that four shots struck a Flydubai aircraft yesterday. We are consulting with Iraqi security officials to obtain more details of the incident.” | |
| On Tuesday, several airlines appeared to take the threat seriously. At least two other airlines from the United Arab Emirates, Etihad Airways and Emirates, said that they were suspending flights to Baghdad. | |
| In a statement, Etihad, based in Abu Dhabi, said that it was complying with a ban by the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority on flights to and from Baghdad for security reasons. | In a statement, Etihad, based in Abu Dhabi, said that it was complying with a ban by the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority on flights to and from Baghdad for security reasons. |
| “The safety of our guests and employees is always our first priority,” the airline said. “We will continue to work closely with the authorities and monitor the security situation before recommencing scheduled services to Baghdad.” | “The safety of our guests and employees is always our first priority,” the airline said. “We will continue to work closely with the authorities and monitor the security situation before recommencing scheduled services to Baghdad.” |
| Flights by Turkish and Jordanian airlines were also temporarily suspended, airport officials said. | Flights by Turkish and Jordanian airlines were also temporarily suspended, airport officials said. |
| Speaking at the airport on Tuesday, Iraq’s transportation minister, Baqir Jabr al-Zubaidi, sought to reassure international airlines by dismissing the shooting as “accidental.” He said that the authorities had determined the area where the gunfire had originated, but did not provide any further detail about the source. | Speaking at the airport on Tuesday, Iraq’s transportation minister, Baqir Jabr al-Zubaidi, sought to reassure international airlines by dismissing the shooting as “accidental.” He said that the authorities had determined the area where the gunfire had originated, but did not provide any further detail about the source. |
| “The whole thing was just a simple scratch to a little girl,” he added. | “The whole thing was just a simple scratch to a little girl,” he added. |
| Mr. Zubaidi said that Iraq’s national carrier was prepared to pick up passengers if other international carriers continued to suspend their flights. He asked journalists to join him on a 10-minute flight around the city, “to send a message to everyone that the airport is secure.” | Mr. Zubaidi said that Iraq’s national carrier was prepared to pick up passengers if other international carriers continued to suspend their flights. He asked journalists to join him on a 10-minute flight around the city, “to send a message to everyone that the airport is secure.” |