The accident occurred during a night time recovery to the aircraft's home base following a medical evacuation flight.

"The Iraqis are making this evacuation flight difficult as well," a department official said.

Finland allowed nationals of other countries to take vacant seats on the evacuation flights.

His boatmates brought him back to base and he was flown out on a medical evacuation flight, but died the next day.

Nor has the military mobilized commercial airlines for medical evacuation flights, which would be part of a Stage 2 deployment.

In fact, it was State regulation that civilians had to pay for a seat on an evacuation flight.

Although both the fighting and the evacuation flights have ended, it could be months before the industry recovers.

The official added that a second evacuation flight to Kuwait would be organized, probably for Tuesday.

They also provide medical evacuation flights to all the inhabited islands in Fiji.

They fly medical evacuation flights - among the most dangerous, since the enemy is often waiting to ambush them.