Plane Hijack Story Series: Air India flight AI-224, which took off from Lusaka Airport in Zambia, was to reach Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai after completing a journey of about 21 hours. Air India had deployed its Boeing 707 aircraft for this journey. Since the journey was very long and the fuel capacity of the aircraft was limited, the plane had to stop at Mahe (Seychelles) for refueling. During refueling in Mahe, an incident happened which recorded Air India flight AI-224 in the pages of history. Today, whenever this flight is discussed, it sends shivers down the spine of the passengers who traveled on this flight.
Actually, this incident happened about 43 years ago. On 25 November 1981, Air India flight AI-224 took off from Lusaka Airport in Zambia. Apart from 65 passengers, 13 cabin crew were also present in this flight. After completing a journey of about 10 hours, this flight reached Seychelles International Airport in Mahe. Here the plane had to refuel and complete its further journey. While the process of refueling was going on in the Air India plane, a big incident happened at Seychelles International Airport. About 47 terrorists from Swaziland, South Africa had entered Seychelles International Airport with the intention of capturing it. All of them entered the Air India plane amidst a confrontation with the security agency.
Also read: When a plane was hijacked with a toy gun, Indira made the hijackers MLA, you will also be shocked to know the whole incident… The plane going from Kolkata to Delhi was hijacked by two hijackers with toy pistols. After a dramatic incident at Varanasi airport, both the hijackers were arrested. As a reward for this hijacking, Congress gifted the post of MLA to both the hijackers. To know what was the whole case Click Do it.
The hijackers wanted to take the plane to Durban
All the terrorists who entered the plane were equipped with ultra-modern automatic weapons and hand grenades. The terrorists hijacked the plane by taking all the passengers and crew members hostage. The leader of the hijackers Peter Daffy was constantly demanding Captain Umesh Saxena to take the plane to Durban in South Africa. The captain not only fearlessly faced the hijackers, but also kept the plane stopped at the airport with his wisdom. After the plane was hijacked, the situation at Seychelles International Airport had completely changed. Now the passengers and cabin crew had to be taken out safely from the clutches of the hijackers by any means. A round of talks started between the local agencies and the hijackers.

Also read: Indian Airlines plane landed in Karachi, Pak Army mixed sweet poison in the food, and then a big operation took place… The Indian Airlines plane that took off from Palam Airport had limited fuel left. The flight captain had realized that this flight would never reach Bombay. The hijackers wanted to take this plane to Libya. To know what happened next, read this post. Click Do it.
And then, this is how it all ended…
This round of negotiation between the hijackers and the terrorists lasted for about six hours. During these six hours, the passengers and crew sitting inside the plane were terrified. Everyone was trembling with fear. The automatic weapons in the hands of the hijackers and their aggressive attitude were scaring them a lot. Every moment seemed like the last moment of their life. After about six hours of struggle, the hijackers agreed to release the passengers and crew present in the plane. After releasing the passengers and crew, the hijackers also surrendered. After which, all the hijackers were arrested and a case was filed. On completion of the hearing of the case, the hijackers were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from one year to 20 years.

Also read: Did not like the college course, had to extend the exam dates, so 4 boys from Lucknow hijacked a plane, and then… Between the 70s and 90s, the state of aviation security was such that anyone could hijack a plane over trivial matters. A similar incident occurred in April 1993, in which four students from Lucknow hijacked an Indian Airlines plane to postpone their exam date. To know what the whole matter is, read here Click Do it.
First hijacking of an Indian plane on foreign soil
Let us tell you that this was the second plane hijack in the 80s. Earlier, Sikh separatists had hijacked an Indian Airlines plane going from Amritsar to Delhi. This plane was landed in Lahore. Where the SSG of Pakistan Army conducted a commando operation and saved all the passengers and crew members from the clutches of the hijackers. Talking about the 70s, a total of 3 planes were hijacked. This was the first such incident in the 70s and 80s when an Indian aircraft was hijacked on foreign soil.
Tag: Airport Diaries, airport security, Aviation News, crime news, mumbai airport, mumbai news
first published : September 23, 2024, 09:45 IST