El Al Flight 426
Encyclopedia
El Al Flight 426 was an El Al
passenger flight hijacked on July 23, 1968 by three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
, setting off a wave of skyjacking by this organization.
, was en route from London Heathrow Airport to Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport and then to Lod Airport, now known as Ben Gurion International Airport
. The plane was diverted to Algiers
.
One of the hijackers opened the unlocked door to the flight deck, clubbed the copilot with the butt of his pistol and ordered the plane to fly to Algiers. The other two hijackers threatened the passengers with pistols and hand grenades.
When the plane landed at Dar El Beida
airport, Algerian authorities impounded the plane. The following day they sent all non-Israelis passengers to France on Air Algérie Caravelle jets. Twelve Israeli passengers and the crew of ten were held as hostages. Ten women and children were released over the weekend. The hijackers were identified as members of the Jordan-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. They had been equipped with Iranian and Indian passports.
Israel negotiated the return of the hostages and plane through diplomatic channels. Five weeks later, everyone was released in return for handing over 16 convicted Arab terrorists.
El Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
passenger flight hijacked on July 23, 1968 by three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Palestinian Marxist-Leninist organisation founded in 1967. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation Organization , the largest being Fatah...
, setting off a wave of skyjacking by this organization.
History
The aircraft, a Boeing 707Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
, was en route from London Heathrow Airport to Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport and then to Lod Airport, now known as Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport , also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag , is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel, handling 12,160,339 passengers in 2010...
. The plane was diverted to Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
.
One of the hijackers opened the unlocked door to the flight deck, clubbed the copilot with the butt of his pistol and ordered the plane to fly to Algiers. The other two hijackers threatened the passengers with pistols and hand grenades.
When the plane landed at Dar El Beida
Dar El Beïda
Dar El Beïda is a suburb of Algiers, Algeria. It is the seat of the district with the same name. During French colonian times, it was officially called with its French name Maison Blanche , which meant the same thing as its current Arabic name: white house. It is pronounced in Classical Arabic...
airport, Algerian authorities impounded the plane. The following day they sent all non-Israelis passengers to France on Air Algérie Caravelle jets. Twelve Israeli passengers and the crew of ten were held as hostages. Ten women and children were released over the weekend. The hijackers were identified as members of the Jordan-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. They had been equipped with Iranian and Indian passports.
Israel negotiated the return of the hostages and plane through diplomatic channels. Five weeks later, everyone was released in return for handing over 16 convicted Arab terrorists.
See also
- List of aircraft hijackings
- Lufthansa Flight 181Lufthansa Flight 181Lufthansa Flight 181 was a Lufthansa Boeing 737-230 Adv aircraft named Landshut that was hijacked on October 13, 1977 by four members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine...
- Operation EntebbeOperation EntebbeOperation Entebbe was a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by the Special Forces of the Israel Defense Forces at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists and...
- Airport securityAirport securityAirport security refers to the techniques and methods used in protecting airports and aircraft from crime.Large numbers of people pass through airports. This presents potential targets for terrorism and other forms of crime due to the number of people located in a particular location...