Incident Overview
Date: Thursday 7 February 1985
Aircraft Type: Boeing 707-123B
Owner/operator: Cyprus Airways
Location: Beirut International Airport (BEY) –
ÿ Lebanon
Phase of Flight: Standing
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 12
Component Affected: Boeing 707 aircraftBoeing 707 aircraft
Category: Unlawful Interference
On June 23, 1983, four Shiite Muslims seized a Cyprus Airways Boeing 707 aircraft at Beirut International Airport (BEY). They commandeered the aircraft, refusing to allow passengers to board and holding the flight crew and three KLM employees hostage for five hours. The hijackers demanded the release of two Cypriot nationals imprisoned for a previous hijacking.On June 23, 1983, four Shiite Muslims seized a Cyprus Airways Boeing 707 aircraft at Beirut International Airport (BEY). They commandeered the aircraft, refusing to allow passengers to board and holding the flight crew and three KLM employees hostage for five hours. The hijackers demanded the release of two Cypriot nationals imprisoned for a previous hijacking.
Description
Four Shiite Muslims armed with automatic weapons stormed onto the apron at Beirut International Airport (BEY) in a car and commandeered a Cyprus Airways Boeing 707 aircraft. The aircraft was preparing for departure to Cyprus at the time of the seizure. The hijackers refused to allow passengers to board the aircraft but kept the nine member flight crew and three Lebanese employees of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, as hostages. The hijackers demanded the release of two Lebanese men jailed in Cyprus for the hijacking of a Libyan chartered Romanian airliner to Cyprus on June 23, 1983. The five hour ordeal ended when Cypriot authorities agreed to consider their demand. The crew and its aircraft later returned to Cyprus unharmed.
Primary Cause
Hijacking of a commercial aircraft.Hijacking of a commercial aircraft.Share on:
