About the show
When Flight 149 departed London Heathrow on 1 August 1990, the passengers and crew had no idea of the trauma that lay ahead. A routine stopover in Kuwait turned into a hostage crisis. Hear from the hostages themselves as they recall the horrifying realisation that their holiday had taken a very dark turn. Journalist Stephen Davis delves into what’s been dubbed one of the biggest cover ups in modern history. Episode one of nine.
Please note this episode contains references to violent sexual assault.
British Airways gave us the following statement: “Our hearts go out to all those caught up in this shocking act of war just over 30 years ago, and who had to endure a truly horrendous experience. The records (released by the Government last year) confirmed British Airways was not warned about the invasion.”
The Foreign Office released a statement in 2021 that said: “On 1 of August the British Embassy in Kuwait told the local British Airways office that while flights on 1 August should be safe, subsequent flights were inadvisable”. It then repeated a previous statement to say: “the Government at the time did not attempt in any way to exploit the flight by any means whatever”.
Also available: The Secret History of The Estonia. A tale of secrets, smuggling and spies and why 852 people died on a ferry. Stephen investigates the mystery behind Europe’s worst peacetime shipping disaster since the Titanic.
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The Secret History of Flight 149
Imagine boarding a flight thinking you’re heading on holiday, but instead you get taken hostage by Saddam Hussein. It might sound far-fetched, but in August 1990 this is what happened to the passengers and crew of BA Flight 149. What followed has been dubbed the most shocking government cover-up of the last thirty years.
Journalist Stephen Davis has been reporting on this extraordinary story for the past three decades. In this series you’ll hear directly from the hostages – the people used as human shields by the Iraqi regime, with horrific and traumatic consequences. But why was the plane allowed to land at all, putting so many lives at risk? Why have secrets and lies persisted for so many years? Join Stephen in his search to uncover the truth behind The Secret History of Flight 149.
Presenter: Stephen Davis
Producer: Samantha Psyk
Mixing and sound design: Rory Auskerry
Now that The Secret History of Antarctica: Death on the Ice has come to an end, here’s a clip from another podcast we think you’ll like.
It’s called Oceans: Life Under Water, an immersive storytelling podcast about the oceans from Crowd Network and Greenpeace, hosted by wildlife filmmaker and broadcaster Hannah Stitfall.
To listen to the rest of the episode and the whole series, search for Oceans: Life Under Water in your favourite podcast app.
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