Bear escapes crate on flight to Dubai

Iraqi Airways has issued an apology after a bear escaped from a crate in the cargo hold of a flight from Baghdad to Dubai.

A video recorded by a passenger during the flight spread across social media platforms on Friday.

In the video, a male passenger can be heard explaining that their flight had experienced a delay of more than an hour due to an unexpected reason – a bear found in the cargo hold.

In a statement on its website, Iraqi Airways apologised for the incident, saying the bear was being transported "following all internationally approved procedures with this type of shipment, represented by allocating cages according to the terms of the Cites agreement for animal crate approved by IATA".

It went on to state that when the plane arrived at Dubai International Airport, "it was found that the animal had left the box designated for its transportation, which necessitated the flight crew to coordinate with the UAE authorities, who immediately sent a specialised team to anaesthetise the animal and transport it out of the plane".

Although the return flight was delayed, the statement clarified there was no damage or injuries sustained.

No further information was provided on the reasons why the bear was travelling on the plane or where it was going.