London – Officials found traces of radiation on two British Airways jets as part of an investigation into the poisoning death of a former Russian spy, and the airline appealed Wednesday to tens of thousands of passengers who flew to Moscow or other cities to contact health authorities.
Two Boeing 767s at London’s Heathrow Airport tested positive and a third was grounded in Moscow awaiting examination, British Airways said. The airline said “the risk to public health is low” but that it was attempting to contact some 33,000 passengers who have flown on the jets since Oct. 25.
The announcement was the latest twist in a case that has aggravated tensions between Britain and Russia and could strain sensitive negotiations on issues as diverse as energy, NATO expansion and the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea.
Britain has been careful not to blame the Kremlin for the Nov. 23 death of Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB agent and fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. But criticism of Putin’s increasing authoritarianism has intensified since the poisoning, even within Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Cabinet.
The tests were conducted after the British government contacted British Airways on Tuesday night and told the airline to ground the jets and allow investigators to examine them for possible radiation.
Investigators also checked places Litvinenko and others who met with him visited in the weeks before he fell ill Nov. 1. Litvinenko said before he died that a group of Russian contacts who met him Nov. 1 had traveled to London from Moscow.
Authorities would not say if the radiation on board the two jets was polonium-210. High doses of polonium-210 – a rare radioactive element usually made in specialized nuclear facilities – were found in Litvinenko’s body, and traces of radiation have been found at six sites in London connected with the inquiry into his death.
All three Boeing 767s had been on the London-Moscow route, British Airways said, and had also traveled to routes across Europe including Barcelona, Frankfurt and Athens. Three thousand crew and airport personnel had contact with the three planes.
The airline has published the flights affected on its website.
Media reports in Britain and Russia on Wednesday said that Litvinenko had been engaged in smuggling nuclear substances out of Russia. But their source said he had been misquoted.
“He (Litvinenko) wanted to see me because he knew about smuggling of nuclear material, but as far as I know he was never involved in nuclear smuggling,” said Italian security expert Mario Scaramella, who was one of the last people to meet with Litvinenko before the former spy fell ill.
Did you take these flights?
Passengers from the following British Airways flights have been asked to contact British officials. Those who took these flights, on planes being tested for radiation, were asked to call the airline at 44-191-211 3690.
London Heathrow to Moscow/Moscow to London Heathrow
Oct. 25, BA875 Oct. 26, BA872 and BA873 Oct. 28, BA872 and BA873 Oct. 31, BA873, BA874 and BA875 Nov. 1, BA874 and BA875 Nov. 3, BA874 and BA875 Nov. 5, BA872 and BA873 Nov. 6, BA874 and BA875 Nov. 7, BA872, BA873, BA874 and BA875 Nov. 8, BA874 and BA875 Nov. 9, BA872, BA873, BA874 and BA875 Nov. 13, BA874 and BA875 Nov. 14, BA872 and BA873 Nov. 15, BA874 and BA875 Nov. 16, BA872 and BA873 Nov. 17, BA874 and BA875 Nov. 18, BA874 and BA875 Nov. 20, BA872 and BA873 Nov. 22, BA872 and BA873 Nov. 25, BA872 and BA873 Nov. 28, BA872 and BA873 Nov. 29, BA872
London Heathrow to Barcelona/Barcelona to London Heathrow
Nov. 4, BA478 and BA479 Nov. 16, BA478 and BA479 Nov. 17, BA478 and BA479 Nov. 19, BA478 and BA479 Nov. 20, BA478 and BA479 Nov. 21, BA478 and BA479 Nov. 22, BA478 and BA479 Nov. 23, BA478 and BA479 Nov. 24, BA478 and BA479
London Heathrow to Dusseldorf/Dusseldorf to London Heathrow
Oct. 30, BA936 and BA937 Nov. 6, BA936 and BA937 Nov. 8, BA936 and BA937 Nov. 9, BA936 and BA937 Nov. 11, BA936 and BA937 Nov. 13, BA936 and BA937 Nov. 18, BA936 and BA937 Nov. 19, BA936 and BA937 Nov. 24, BA936 and BA937 Nov. 25, BA936 and BA937 Nov. 27, BA936 and BA937
London Heathrow to Athens
Oct. 30, BA632 Oct. 31, BA634 Nov. 4, BA632 Nov. 5, BA634 Nov. 6, BA632 Nov. 7, BA634 Nov. 8, BA632 Nov. 9, BA634 Nov. 10, BA632 Nov. 11, BA632 Nov. 14, BA634 Nov. 19, BA632 Nov. 20, BA634 Nov. 21, BA632 Nov. 22, BA634 Nov. 24, BA632 Nov. 25, BA632 Nov. 27, BA632 Nov. 28, BA632 Nov. 28, BA634
Athens to London Heathrow
Oct. 30, BA633 Nov. 1, BA631 Nov. 4, BA633 Nov. 6, BA631 Nov. 6, BA633 Nov. 8, BA631 Nov. 8, BA633 Nov. 10, BA631 Nov. 10, BA633 Nov. 11, BA633 Nov. 15, BA631 Nov. 19, BA633 Nov. 21, BA631 Nov. 21, BA633 Nov. 23, BA631 Nov. 24, BA633 Nov. 25, BA633 Nov. 27, BA633 Nov. 28, BA633 Nov. 29, BA631
London Heathrow to Larnaca/Larnaca to London Heathrow
Oct. 29, BA662 and BA663 Nov. 11, BA662 and BA663 Nov. 12, BA662 and BA663 Nov. 13, BA662 and BA663 Nov. 18, BA662 and BA663 Nov. 26, BA662 and BA663
London Heathrow to Stockholm
Nov. 3, BA786 Nov. 19, BA780 Nov. 22, BA780 Nov. 23, BA780 Nov. 24, BA780
Stockholm to London Heathrow
Nov. 4, BA773 Nov. 19, BA781 Nov. 22, BA781 Nov. 23, BA781 Nov. 24, BA781
London Heathrow to Warsaw (actually operated to Vienna)
Nov. 28, BA846
Warsaw to London Heathrow (actually operated from Vienna)
Nov. 28, BA847
London Heathrow to Frankfurt
Oct. 26, BA916 Nov. 2, BA916
Frankfurt to London Heathrow
Oct. 27, BA901 Nov. 3, BA901
London Heathrow to Istanbul/Istanbul to London Heathrow
Oct. 27, BA676 and BA677 Nov. 2, BA676 and BA677 Nov. 3, BA676 and BA677
London Heathrow to Madrid/Madrid to London Heathrow
Nov. 26, BA460 and BA461
