KLM Flight 861
 PH-BUA, the incident aircraft, at Faro Airport in 1988. | |
| Hijacking | |
|---|---|
| Date | November 25, 1973 |
| Summary | Aircraft hijacking |
| Site | Dubai |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 747-206B[1] |
| Aircraft name | Mississippi |
| Operator | KLM |
| Registration | PH-BUA[1] |
| Flight origin | Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
| Stopover | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Destination | Tokyo, Japan |
| Passengers | 247[1] |
| Crew | 17[1] |
| Survivors | 264 (all) |
KLM Flight 861, operated by a Boeing 747 registered PH-BUA and named "Mississippi", was hijacked on November 25, 1973, by three young Arabs over Iraqi airspace on a scheduled Amsterdam-Tokyo flight with 247 passengers on board.
Incident
The hijackers threatened to blow up the plane when no country would grant landing permission. The hijackers demanded the release of seven Palestinian prisoners. Most of the passengers and the eight stewardesses were released after negotiations with the Prime Minister of Malta, Dom Mintoff. With 11 passengers remaining on board, the jumbo jet left Malta to Dubai where the incident ended without fatalities.[2]
Aftermath
The hijack was claimed by the Arab Nationalist Youth Organization. The flight number is now used for the Amsterdam to Tokyo route.
References
- ^ a b c d "Hijacking description PP-SNT". Aviation Safety Network.
- ^ Dutch KLM Boeing 747