Syria: plane; Syrian Airlines, legal action against Turkey

The air carrier Syrian Airlines has said it will file a lawsuit with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) against Turkish authorities over its passenger plane flying from Moscow to Damascus which was forced to land in Ankara and searched. The director general of the Syrian company, Ghaida Abdullatif, stressed that the 35 passengers on board, including children, were forced to wait for five hours and 25 minutes and many were scared because they didn't know what was going on. Syrian Airlines will report the case 'to IATA and all other international and humanitarian organizations' which have a say in the matter, said Abdullatif, adding that he was in constant contact with the captain thanks to a cell phone provided by a Russian passenger. Most passengers, said Abdullatif, were scared because there had been 'no alert of the imminent Turkish interception'. He said everyone was fine, apart from the psychological impact of the incident for some. Syria's Transport Minister Mohammad Said slammed Turkey's action as 'an act of piracy violating civilian aviation treaties'.