Tag egyptair flight 181 hijack

EgyptAir Flight 181 was a hijacking that occurred on March 23, 1972. Here are the key details:

Flight Information:

• Flight number: EgyptAir Flight 181
• Departure: Cairo, Egypt
• Destination: Munich, West Germany
• Aircraft: Boeing 720B
• Passengers: 120
• Crew: 8

Hijacking:

• The hijacking occurred when the plane was in mid-air, flying over the Mediterranean Sea.
• The hijacker, a Palestinian militant named Leila Khaled, was armed with a gun and a grenade.
• Khaled demanded that the plane be diverted to Damascus, Syria, where she wanted to release the passengers and crew.

Response:

• The Egyptian authorities refused to comply with Khaled's demands, and the plane was instead diverted to Athens, Greece.
• The Greek authorities took control of the plane and arrested Khaled.
• The passengers and crew were released unharmed.

Aftermath:

• Khaled was later convicted of hijacking and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
• The hijacking was seen as a major embarrassment for EgyptAir and the Egyptian government, which had been trying to improve its relations with Western countries.
• The incident led to increased security measures on Egyptian flights and a greater emphasis on preventing hijackings.

Interesting fact:

• Leila Khaled was a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a militant group that was involved in several hijackings and other terrorist attacks in the 1960s and 1970s.
• Khaled was one of the first women to hijack a plane, and her actions were seen as a symbol of female empowerment and resistance against Israeli occupation.