A Middle East Airlines plane was forced to return to Beirut airport while in midair after Iraqi authorities refused to allow it to land in Baghdad without the son of an Iraqi official on board, the airlines said in a statement. Later in the day, MEA issued another statement, saying the company was waiting for the results of the investigation to determine the circumstances behind the incident.

 

It also said that the first statement was based on "conclusions made by passengers who were on board the plane." Lebanon’s Transport Minister Ghazi Zeaiter asked Lebanese Civil Aviation to immediately launch an investigation into the incident to clarify why the plane was not given clearance to land in Baghdad. [Link]