Summary Hijacking Injuries (non-fatal) 1 Aircraft type Boeing 727-2N8 Operator Yemenia Survivor 101 (all) Crew count 10 | Passengers 91 Survivors 101 (all) Date 23 January 2001 Fatalities 0 Passenger count 91 | |
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Site Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport, Djibouti, Djibouti Similar Binter Mediterráneo Flight 8261, 2001 Avjet Aspen crash, Thai Airways Internatio, Loganair Flight 670A, 2001 Omsk An‑70 crash | ||
Yemenia Flight 448 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Sana'a to al-Hudaydah, Yemen, that was hijacked on 23 January 2001. The Yemenia Yemen Airways Boeing 727-2N8 departed Sana'a International Airport bound for a stopover at Taiz-Al Janad Airport, Ta'izz. The passengers included the United States Ambassador to Yemen Barbara Bodine, US Deputy Chief of Mission to Yemen, and the Yemeni Ambassador to the US.
Fifteen minutes after takeoff, a man armed with a pen gun hijacked the aircraft and demanded to be taken to Baghdad, Iraq. In addition to his gun, he claimed to have explosives hidden in his suitcase. The flight crew convinced the hijacker to first divert to Djibouti to refuel.
The aircraft made an emergency landing at Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport, where the flight crew then overpowered the hijacker. The only injury was to the flight engineer, who was grazed by a bullet during the fight.
The hijacker was an unemployed Iraqi who wanted to look elsewhere for employment opportunities. He was extradited to Yemen, and sentenced to 15 years in prison in March 2001.