Date November 25, 1973 Crew 17 | Summary Aircraft hijacking Passengers 247 Survivors 264 (all) | |
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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.
Contents
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.
Aftermath
The hijack was claimed by the Arab Nationalist Youth Organization. The flight number is now used for the Amsterdam to Tokyo route.