Review of some of the world's shocking plane hijackings

(Baonghean.vn) - Passenger plane hijackings have become more common in recent decades along with the rapid growth of the aviation industry. Let's review some of the hijackings in the world over the past 40 years.

1. The events of September 11, 2001

On September 11, 2001, the United States and the world were shaken by one of the most catastrophic hijacking attacks in human history. For the first time, four civilian aircraft were hijacked by the same group of hijackers and turned into four heavy bombs, killing 2,974 people and leaving 24 missing.

Of the four, three were used as cruise missiles to hit famous buildings. The fourth plane, which was intended for the White House, was diverted when the crew and passengers attacked the hijackers, causing a crash that killed all on board.

2. Indian Airlines Flight 814

Indian Airlines Flight 814 under the control of kidnappers in Kandahar - Photo: yimg.com

In December 1999, Indian Airlines Flight 814 was hijacked by a group of terrorists based in Pakistan. The armed hijackers threatened to blow up the plane shortly after it entered Indian airspace and ordered the captain to “fly west.” The hijackers eventually forced the plane to land in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

The plane then wandered for days through Amritsar, Lahore, Dubai and Kandahar in the hands of the kidnappers. Their demands were for the release of 35 Islamists held in India and a cash ransom of $200 million, but the Indian negotiators were able to convince them to reduce their demands to just three prisoners.

After the three men reached Kandahar, the hostages on the plane were freed and flown back to India on another plane. The kidnappers had previously released 27 of the 176 passengers in Dubai, but one was also stabbed to death and several others were injured.

3. Atlasjet Aircraft

Atlasjet aircraft - Photo: wikipedia.org

A Turkish airliner operated by Atlas Air was hijacked en route from northern Cyprus to Istanbul in August 2007. There were six crew members and 136 passengers on board when it left the airport in northern Cyprus. Two tall, dark-skinned men entered the cockpit and announced they were members of Al Qaeda, demanding the plane fly to Iran or Syria and saying they had bombs on them.

However, the pilots claimed they needed to refuel and made an emergency landing in Antalya, a city in southern Türkiye. After landing in Antalya, the plane was immediately surrounded by police. The kidnappers threatened to blow up the plane. But the authorities convinced them to let the women and children off the plane.

As this was being done, the two pilots climbed out of the plane's windows and other passengers jumped through the emergency exits, creating a chaotic situation that forced the kidnappers to surrender themselves. No one was killed or seriously injured in the incident.

4. Air France Flight 139

Passengers on Air France flight 139 rejoice after being rescued - Photo: idfblog.com

On July 4, 1976, two PFLP gunmen took control of Air France Flight 139 en route from Athens, Greece to Paris. The 246 passengers and 12 crew members were taken to Entebbe Airport in Uganda.

The PFLP threatened to kill the hostages and demanded the release of 40 Palestinians held in Israel and 13 in other countries. After negotiations by the Israeli government, they released 140. The Israeli army deployed 100 commandos in Operation Entebbe to rescue the remaining hostages.

The raid killed three passengers, one Israeli commando, 45 Ugandan soldiers and seven gunmen, and destroyed 13 aircraft. The raiders successfully rescued 106 passengers. One was later assassinated while being treated in hospital.

5. EgyptAir Flight 648

Egypt Air plane in Malta - Photo: wikimedia.org

One of the bloodiest airline hijackings in history. After three members of the Abu Nidal Organization took control of a plane traveling from Athens to Cairo on November 23, 1985, a member of the Egyptian security forces on board opened fire, killing one of the hijackers.

But the officer was later shot dead and the situation became very tense. The plane ran out of power and had to land in Malta despite the Maltese authorities' objections. The standoff continued, and 11 passengers and two injured flight attendants were released, but the Maltese authorities' tough stance led to the kidnappers executing two American passengers.

Egyptian special forces then launched an attack, causing chaos that killed 56 of the remaining 88 passengers. In total, 60 of the 92 passengers on board were killed.

6. Malaysia Airlines Flight 653

Malaysia Airlines Flight 653 crash scene - Photo: baaa-acro.com

More than three decades later, the hijacking of Malaysia Airlines Flight 653 remains a mystery. Shortly after departing Penang for Kuala Lumpur on December 4, 1977, Captain GK Ganjoor reported “an unidentified hijacker” on board and later told air traffic control that they were “en route to Singapore.”

Communications were then interrupted and the plane crashed in Kampong Ladang, Tanjong Kupang, killing all seven crew members and 93 passengers, including Malaysia's Public Works Minister Mahfuz Khalid, Malaysia's Agriculture Minister Ali Haji Ahmadand and Cuba's Ambassador to Japan Mario Garcia. To this day, no one knows what happened to the plane.

7. Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961

While struggling with the hijacker, Captain Leul still tried to land the plane in shallow water off the island of Grande Comore. Photo: Wordpress

On November 23, 1996, three Ethiopian men hijacked a Boeing 767-200ER taking off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, bound for Nairobi, Kenya. They demanded that the plane change course to Australia to seek asylum. Captain Leul Abate tried to explain to the three terrorists that the plane did not have enough fuel to fly to Australia.

They did not believe them and forced the pilot to continue flying despite repeated warnings from the captain that the plane was running out of fuel. The captain tried to land at Prince Said Ibrahim Airport, Grande Comore (an island off the coast of Africa) but was unsuccessful.

During a struggle with the hijackers, he landed the plane in shallow water off the island of Grande Comore. The fuselage broke apart on impact and caught fire. 122 passengers and 3 hijackers were killed, 46 others were injured.

8. Egypt Air hijacking

Egypt Air plane.

On March 29, 2016, a hijacker took control of an EgyptAir passenger plane flying from Alexandria to Cairo and diverted it to Cyprus. He released all passengers except four foreigners and the crew. The incident ended several hours later, when the hijacker was arrested and all 80 people on board were safely rescued.

Kim Ngoc

(Synthetic)