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British Airways Flight 149 was a Boeing 747-136 (registration G-AWND) that…

2026-08-04 · 23:20 UTC ·@Fahadnaimb ·1 min read

Brief

British Airways Flight 149 (Boeing 747-136, registration G-AWND) landed at Kuwait International Airport at 04:13 local on 2 August 1990 — exactly as Iraqi forces invaded. All 367 passengers and 18 crew disembarked and were detained; some men were later used as human shields and one Kuwaiti passenger was killed. Most hostages were freed by December 1990, and the empty 747 remained on the tarmac until it was destroyed.

Why it matters

British Airways Flight 149 was a Boeing 747-136 (registration G-AWND) that departed Heathrow the night of 1 Aug 1990 for Kuala Lumpur with planned stops in Kuwait and Madras and landed at Kuwait International Airport at 04:13 local on 2 Aug 1990 as Iraqi forces invaded.

Key details

  • All 367 passengers and 18 crew disembarked; Iraqi troops seized the airport within hours and detained everyone — some were held for weeks or months, several men were later moved and used as human shields, one Kuwaiti passenger was killed, and most remaining hostages were released by December 1990.
  • The empty 747 remained on Kuwait's tarmac throughout the occupation, never departed, and was ultimately destroyed; the post includes photos showing the aircraft's remains.
Source evidence

On the night of 1 August 1990, British Airways Flight 149 left Heathrow for Kuala Lumpur with stops planned in Kuwait and Madras. It was a Boeing 747-136, registration G-AWND.

It landed at Kuwait International Airport at 04:13 local time on 2 August... right as Iraqi forces were invading the country. The airport was already nearly empty. Other airlines had diverted. 367 passengers and 18 crew got off the aircraft thinking it was a normal transit stop.
Within a few hours Iraqi troops had taken control of the airport. Everyone from the flight was detained. Some were held for weeks, others for months. A number of the men were later moved to strategic locations and used as human shields. One Kuwaiti passenger was killed. Most of the remaining hostages were finally released by December 1990.

The empty 747 never left the airport. It sat on the tarmac throughout the occupation and was eventually destroyed. These photos show what’s left of it.
Still hard to believe a routine long-haul flight could end like this.