On Friday, August 4th, a bear escaped its cage within the storage of Iraqi Airways Flight 123. The incident, videotaped by one of the ground crew personnel, caused delays at Baghdad International Airport (BGW).

The predicament surrounding the carriage of animals on commercial flights has quietened down lately. Some may say that with unruly passengers and the pandemic, there are bigger things to worry about. However, the disputed matter of animals traveling on commercial flights has shown its face again with news that a bear being transported on a passenger flight managed to break free from its crate within the cargo hold, causing a series of delays and disruptions on Friday.

Busy Bears

On Friday morning, Iraqi Airways flight 123 took off from Baghdad and landed at Dubai International Airport (DXB). The flight was operated by a Boeing 737-800. Upon the aircraft's arrival in Dubai, it was revealed that the "special cargo" had escaped its shipping crate.

This led the Iraqi Airways flight crew to coordinate with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities to sedate the bear and extract it from the aircraft with the assistance of a specialized team dispatched by the UAE authorities.

On Saturday, a video posted to YouTube taken by one of the ground crew staff circulated on social media. In the clip, the bear could be seen roaming around the cargo hold of the aircraft. The bear even approached one of the staff members as they rubbed the bear's head.

Bear breaks out from a container in the cargo hold of an Iraqi Airways flight from Baghdad to Dubai - https://t.co/5KJeGp3orA pic.twitter.com/HicKz2An0H

— Iraqi News (@IraqiNews_com) August 5, 2023

Iraqi Airways' Apology

In an apology posted to its Facebook page Iraqi Airways stated that "The administration of the company apologizes to the dear travelers of the flight from Baghdad International Airport to Dubai Airport... for reasons beyond the control of the company, regarding a shipment in the cargo hold (a bear)."

The unexpected turn of events led to the postponement of a subsequent return flight from Dubai to Baghdad. Iraqi Airways flight 124 between Dubai and Baghdad was delayed three hours and thirty minutes, departing at 17:45 and arriving at 18:50.

In an official statement published on its website, Iraqi Airways expressed its regret for the situation, saying the delay was due to circumstances beyond its control. The airlines stated the bear was being transported in accordance with the international convention governing the trade of endangered species (CITES) and the International Air Transportation Agency (IATA).

The statement did not reveal the purpose of the bear's journey to the UAE, as the airline refrained from providing further details regarding the animal's well-being or the specific circumstances surrounding the incident. The statement further shared that the bear's escape from the container did not result in any damage or injuries.

This is not the first time the airline's reputation has taken a hit, as Iraqi Airways has a poor reputation plagued by scandals. In 2020, the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) suspended a pilot after he allowed a female model to enter the cockpit mid-flight. Then, in July 2018, two Iraqi pilots fought over dinner while flying a Boeing 737 with 160 passengers on board.