This.Bullshit did they do it to make a scandal. They did it to make you hate Makarov, and hate him I do. To tell a traditional story you need to have protagonists and antagonists, you have to like or sympathise with the protagonists and hate tha antagonists. For example that's why horror movies fall flat on their faces nowadays, the complete inability to like the protagonists.
Sure, IW go to pretty ridiculous lengths to make you hate Makarov with that airport mission, but it's a game for adults, who in theory should be able to handle such imagery (they may not like watching it, it may make them feel dirty, but the point is that they can handle it, as it's a means to an end. The end being hating makarov.) The contraversy surrounding the mission shouldn't exist.
I shot quite a few, but it was more out of a sense of character. You're supposed to be earning Makarov's trust as you're undercover. Not shooting anyone would look weird.
I played through the campaign yesterday. It was so awesome.