Editing Aircraft hijacking (section)

==History==
{{Main|List of aircraft hijackings}}Airplane hijackings have occurred since the early days of flight. These can be classified in the following eras: 1929–1957, 1958–1979, 1980–2000 and 2001–present. Early incidents involved light planes, but this later involved passenger aircraft as [[commercial aviation]] became widespread.

=== 1929–1957 ===
Between 1929 and 1957, there were fewer than 20 incidents of reported hijackings worldwide; several occurred in [[Eastern Europe]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |title=A profile of the global airline industry |last=Gourdin, Kent N. |isbn=978-1606495551 |edition= |location=New York |oclc=935736423|year=2015 }}</ref>

One of the first unconfirmed hijackings occurred in December 1929. J. Howard "Doc" DeCelles was flying a postal route for a Mexican firm, Transportes Aeras Transcontinentales, ferrying mail from [[San Luis Potosí]] to [[Torreón|Torreon]] and then on to [[Guadalajara]]. [[Saturnino Cedillo]], the governor of the state of San Luis Potosí, ordered him to divert. Several other men were also involved, and through an interpreter, DeCelles had no choice but to comply. He was allegedly held captive for several hours under armed guard before being released.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Violence in the Skies: A History of Aircraft Hijacking and Bombing|last=Baum|first=Philip|publisher=Summersdale Publishers LTD|year=2016|isbn=978-1783727902|pages=5}}</ref>

[[File:Sécurité Aérienne Afrique.JPG|thumb|Warning posters in a Central African airport, 2012]]

The first recorded aircraft hijack took place on February 21, 1931, in [[Arequipa]], Peru. Byron Richards, flying a [[Ford Tri-Motor]], was approached on the ground by armed revolutionaries. He refused to fly them anywhere during a 10-day standoff. Richards was informed that the revolution was successful and he could be freed in return for flying one of the men to [[Lima]].<ref>30 years later Richards was again the victim of a failed hijacking attempt. A father and son boarded his [[Continental Airlines]] [[Boeing 707]] in [[El Paso, Texas]] and tried to force him at gunpoint to fly the plane to [[Cuba]] hoping for a cash reward from [[Fidel Castro]]. [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agents and police chased the plane down the runway and shot out its tires, averting the hijacking. See {{cite web |url=http://www.airdisaster.com/features/hijack/hijack.shtml |title=Feature: Hijack Part 1 |website=airdisaster.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070724125115/http://www.airdisaster.com/features/hijack/hijack.shtml |archive-date=2007-07-24 }}</ref>

The following year, in September 1932, a [[Sikorsky S-38]] with registration P-BDAD, registered to [[Panair do Brasil|Nyrba do Brasil]], was seized in the company's hangar by three men, who took a hostage. Despite having no flying experience, they managed to take off. However, the aircraft crashed in [[São João de Meriti]], killing the four men. Apparently, the hijack was related to the events of the [[Constitutionalist Revolution]] in São Paulo; it is considered to be the first hijack that took place in Brazil.{{citation needed paragraph|date=June 2021}}

On October 28, 1939, the first murder on a plane took place in [[Brookfield, Missouri]], US. The victim was Carl Bivens, a [[flight instructor]], who was teaching a man named Earnest P. "Larry" Pletch. While airborne in a [[Taylor Cub]] [[monoplane]], Pletch shot Bivens twice in the back of the head. Pletch later told prosecutors, "Carl was telling me I had a natural ability and I should follow that line", adding, "I had a revolver in my pocket and without saying a word to him, I took it out of my overalls and I fired a bullet into the back of his head. He never knew what struck him." The ''[[Chicago Daily Tribune]]'' stated it was one of the most spectacular crimes of the 20th century. Pletch pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. However, he was released on March 1, 1957, after serving 17 years, and lived until June 2001.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/murderous-story-americas-first-hijacking-180956152/ |title=The Murderous Story of America's First Hijacking |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807171224/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/murderous-story-americas-first-hijacking-180956152/ |archive-date=2015-08-07 |first=Mike |last=Dash |work=Smithsonian Magazine |date=5 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.magbloom.com/PDF/bloom20/Bloom_20_Killer.pdf |title=The Killer Who Fell From the Sky |website=magbloom.com |access-date=2011-08-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628144121/http://magbloom.com/PDF/bloom20/Bloom_20_Killer.pdf |archive-date=2011-06-28 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1942 near Malta, two New Zealanders, a South African, and an Englishman achieved the first confirmed in-air hijack when they overpowered their captors aboard an Italian seaplane that was flying them to a [[prisoner-of-war camp]]. As they approached an [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] base, they were strafed by [[Supermarine Spitfire]]s unaware of the aircraft's true operators and forced to land on the water. However, all on board survived to be picked up by a British boat.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvuQQaQLDPQ |title=World's First Air Hijack – Allied Aircrew's Daring 1942 Escape |website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=2019-07-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221093841/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvuQQaQLDPQ&gl=US&hl=en&has_verified=1&bpctr=9999999999 |archive-date=2019-12-21 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/43/a2040643.shtml |title=The World's First Air Hijack! |work=BBC.com |date=November 14, 2003}}</ref>

In the years following [[World War II]], Philip Baum, an [[Airport security|aviation security]] expert, suggested that the development of a rebellious youth "piggybacking on to any cause which challenged the status quo or acted in support of those deemed oppressed" may have been a contributor to attacks against the aviation field.<ref name=":0" /> The first hijacking of a commercial flight occurred on the [[Cathay Pacific]] ''[[Miss Macao]]'' on July 16, 1948.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/May-June-08/On-this-Day--The-First-Commercial-Flight-is-Hijacked.html |title=On This Day: First Commercial Flight Hijacked |date=16 July 2010 |access-date=24 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103075904/http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/May-June-08/On-this-Day--The-First-Commercial-Flight-is-Hijacked.html |archive-date=3 January 2012 }}</ref> After this incident and others in the 1950s, airlines recommended that flight crews comply with the hijackers' demands rather than risk a violent confrontation.<ref name=":0" /> There were also various hijacking incidents and assaults on planes in [[China]] and the Middle East.<ref name=":0" /> The [[Israel and state-sponsored terrorism#1954 forced landing of Syrian civilian aircraft|forced landing by the Israeli Air Force of a Syrian Airlines plane]] in December 1954 has been described by multiple writers as a state-sponsored hijacking.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rokach |first=Livia |title=Israel's Sacred Terrorism |date=1980 |publisher=Association of Arab-American University Graduates |location=Belmont, MA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Nasr |first=Kameel B. |title=Arab and Israeli Terrorism: The Causes and Effects of Political Violence, 1936-1993 |date=1997 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-0280-9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Chomsky |first=Noam |title=Pirates and Emperors, Old and New: International Terrorism in the Real World |date=2015-03-23 |publisher=Haymarket Books |isbn=978-1-60846-442-5 |pages=86}}</ref>

On 23 July 1956, in the [[Hungarian People's Republic]], seven passengers hijacked a domestic flight of [[Malév Hungarian Airlines]], a [[Lisunov Li-2]] (registration HA-LIG), to escape from behind the [[Iron Curtain]], and flew it to [[West Germany]]. The aircraft landed safely at Ingolstadt Air Base without injuries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ranter |first=Harro |title=ASN Aircraft accident Lisunov Li-2T HA-LIG Ingolstadt Air Base |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19560713-1 |access-date=2022-09-23 |website=aviation-safety.net}}</ref>

An aircraft belonging to the airline [[Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano|Lloyd Aereo Boliviano]] was hijacked in [[Bolivia]] on September 26, 1956. The [[Douglas DC-4|DC-4]] was carrying 47 prisoners who were being transported from [[Santa Cruz de la Sierra|Santa Cruz, Bolivia]], to El Alto, in [[La Paz Department (Bolivia)|La Paz]]. A political group was waiting to take them to a concentration camp located in Carahuara de Carangas, [[Oruro, Bolivia|Oruro]]. The 47 prisoners overpowered the crew and gained control of the aircraft while airborne and diverted the plane to [[Tartagal, Argentina]]. Prisoners took control of the aircraft and received instructions to again fly to [[Salta|Salta, Argentina]], as the airfield in Tartagal was not big enough. Upon landing, they told the government of the [[injustice]] they were subjected to, and received [[political asylum]].

On October 22, 1956, [[French hijacking of Moroccan plane|French forces hijacked a Moroccan airplane]] carrying leaders of the Algerian [[National Liberation Front (Algeria)|National Liberation Front]] (FLN) during the ongoing [[Algerian War]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Essemlali |first=Mounya |date=2011 |title=Le Maroc entre la France et l'Algérie (1956–1962) |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.3917/ri.146.0077 |journal=Relations Internationales |volume=146 |issue=2 |pages=77–93 |doi=10.3917/ri.146.0077 |issn=0335-2013}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Yabiladi.com |title=22 October 1956 : Ben Bella, King Mohammed V and the story of the re-routed plane |url=https://en.yabiladi.com/articles/details/70157/october-1956-bella-king-mohammed.html |access-date=2022-08-22 |website=en.yabiladi.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Essa |date=2020-10-22 |title=أكتوبر في تاريخ المغرب أحداث وأهوال {{!}} المعطي منجب |url=https://www.alquds.co.uk/أكتوبر-في-تاريخ-المغرب-أحداث-وأهوال/ |access-date=2022-08-22 |website=القدس العربي |language=ar}}</ref> The plane, which was carrying [[Ahmed Ben Bella]], [[Hocine Aït Ahmed]], and [[Mohamed Boudiaf]], was destined to leave from [[Palma de Mallorca]] for [[Tunis]] where the FLN leaders were to conference with Prime Minister [[Habib Bourguiba]], but French forces redirected the flight to occupied [[Algiers]], where the FLN leaders were arrested.<ref name=":02" />

=== 1958–1979 ===
[[File:Worldwide Aircraft Hijackings 1958-1979.svg|thumb|World map depicting global aircraft hijacking incidents between 1958 and 1979|450x450px]]
Between 1958 and 1967, there were approximately 40 hijackings worldwide.<ref name=":1" /> Beginning in 1958, hijackings from [[Cuba]] to other destinations started to occur; in 1961, hijackings from other destinations to Cuba became prevalent.<ref name=":1" /> The first happened on May 1, 1961, on a flight from [[Miami]] to [[Key West]]. The perpetrator, armed with a knife and gun, forced the captain to land in Cuba.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last1=Volpe|first1=John A.|last2=Stewart|first2=John T.|date=1970|title=Aircraft Hijacking: Some Domestic and International Responses|journal=Kentucky Law Journal|volume=59|issue=2|pages=273–318}}</ref>

Australia was relatively untouched by the threat of hijackings until July 19, 1960. On that evening, a 22-year-old Russian man attempted to divert [[Trans Australia Airlines Flight 408]] to [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] or [[Singapore]].<ref name=":0" /> The crew were able to subdue the man after a brief struggle.

According to the FAA, in the 1960s, there were 100 attempts of hijackings involving U.S. aircraft: 77 successful and 23 unsuccessful.<ref name=":2" /> Recognizing the danger early, the [[Federal Aviation Administration|FAA]] issued a directive on July 28, 1961, which prohibits unauthorized persons from carrying concealed [[firearm]]s and interfering with crew member duties.<ref name=":2" /> The [[Federal Aviation Act of 1958]] was amended to impose severe penalties for those seizing control of a commercial aircraft.<ref name=":2" /> Airlines could also refuse to transport passengers who were likely to cause danger. That same year, the FAA and [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] created the [[Federal Air Marshal Service|Peace Officers Program]] which put trained marshals on flights.<ref name=":2" /> A few years later, on May 7, 1964, the FAA adopted a rule requiring that [[cockpit]] doors on commercial aircraft be kept locked at all times.<ref name=":2" /> 
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;"
|+Destinations desired by U.S. hijackers, 1968–72<ref name=":4" />
! colspan="2" |Transport attempts
|-
!Destination
!Number
|-
|{{CUB}}
|90
|-
|{{MEX}}
|4
|-
|{{ITA}}
|3
|-
|{{CAN}}
|2
|-
|{{BAH}}
|1
|-
|{{EGY}}
|1
|-
|{{ISR}}
|1
|-
|{{PRK}}
|1
|-
|{{flag|North Vietnam}}
|1
|-
|{{flag|South Vietnam}}<br />
|1
|-
|{{SWE}}
|1
|-
|{{SWI}}
|1
|-
|{{USA}}
|1
|-
|Unknown
|3
|-
! colspan="2" | Extortion attempts
|-
|Extortion
|26
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''137'''
|}

In a five-year period (1968–1972) the world experienced 326 hijack attempts, or one every 5.6 days.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last=Holden|first=Robert T.|date=1986|title=The Contagiousness of Aircraft Hijacking|journal=American Journal of Sociology|volume=91|issue=4|pages=874–904|issn=0002-9602|jstor=2779961|doi=10.1086/228353|s2cid=144772464}}</ref> The incidents were frequent and often just an inconvenience, which resulted in [[television show]]s creating parodies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2016/3/29/11326472/hijacking-airplanes-egyptair|title=The US once had more than 130 hijackings in four years. Here's why they finally stopped.|last=Nelson|first=Libby|date=2016-03-29|website=Vox|access-date=2019-07-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629151906/https://www.vox.com/2016/3/29/11326472/hijacking-airplanes-egyptair|archive-date=2019-06-29|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Time (magazine)|''Time'' magazine]] even ran a lighthearted comedy piece called "What to Do When the Hijacker Comes".<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,844656,00.html|title=Travel: What to Do When the Hijacker Comes|date=1968-12-06|magazine=Time|access-date=2019-07-06|language=en-US|issn=0040-781X|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629151920/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,844656,00.html|archive-date=2019-06-29|url-status=live}}</ref> Most incidents occurred in the United States. There were two distinct types: hijackings for transportation elsewhere and hijackings for [[extortion]] with the threat of harm.<ref name=":4" />

Between 1968 and 1972, there were 90 recorded transport attempts to Cuba. In contrast, there were 26 extortion attempts (see table on the right). The longest and first transcontinental (Los Angeles, Denver, New York, Bangor, Shannon and Rome) hijacking from the US started on 31 October 1969.<ref name="LongestHijacking">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48069272|title=TWA85: The world's longest and most spectacular hijacking|date=26 October 2019|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=27 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027051638/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48069272|archive-date=27 October 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320]] on May 17, 1970, witnessed the first fatality in the course of a U.S. hijacking.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/20/magazine/you-dont-understand-captain-he-has-gun-hijacking-flight-1320/|title=You Don't Understand Captain – He has a Gun: The Hijacking of Flight 1320|last=Swidey|first=Neil|date=20 March 2020|website=Boston Globe|access-date=21 March 2010}}</ref>

Incidents also became problematic outside of the U.S. For instance, in 1968, [[El Al Flight 426 hijacking|El Al Flight 426]] was seized by [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] (PFLP) militants on 23 July, an incident which lasted 40 days, making it one of the longest. This record was later [[Avianca Flight 9463|beaten in 1999]].<ref name="HistoryHijackings">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1578183.stm|title=History of airliner hijackings|date=3 October 2001|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=8 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210225214/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1578183.stm|archive-date=10 December 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

As a result of the evolving threat, [[Richard Nixon|President Nixon]] issued a directive in 1970 to promote security at airports, electronic surveillance and multilateral agreements for tackling the problem.<ref name=":2" />

The [[International Civil Aviation Organization]] (ICAO) issued a report on aircraft hijacking in July 1970. Beginning in 1969 until the end of June 1970, there were 118 incidents of unlawful seizure of aircraft and 14 incidents of sabotage and armed attacks against civil aviation. This involved airlines of 47 countries and more than 7,000 passengers. In this period, 96 people were killed and 57 were injured as a result of hijacking, sabotage and armed attacks.

The ICAO stated that this is not isolated to one nation or one region, but a worldwide issue to the safe growth of international [[civil aviation]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=News Release|date=July 3, 1970|work=International Civil Aviation Organization}}</ref> Incidents also became notorious{{snd}}in 1971, a man known as [[D. B. Cooper]] hijacked a plane and extorted US$200,000 in ransom before parachuting over Oregon. He was never identified.<ref name="Gray-NYmag2007-10-21">{{cite journal|last=Gray|first=Geoffrey|date=21 October 2007|title=Unmasking D.B. Cooper|url=https://nymag.com/news/features/39593/|journal=[[New York (magazine)|New York magazine]]|issn=0028-7369|access-date=24 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430144404/http://nymag.com/news/features/39593/|archive-date=30 April 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

On August 20, 1971, a [[Pakistan Air Force]] [[T-33 Shooting Star|T-33]] military plane was hijacked prior the [[Indo-Pakistani war of 1971]] in [[Karachi]]. [[Flight Lieutenant|Lieutenant]] [[Matiur Rahman (military pilot)|Matiur Rahman]] attacked [[Pilot Officer|Officer]] [[Rashid Minhas]] and attempted to land in India. Minhas deliberately crashed the plane into the ground near [[Thatta]] to prevent the diversion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/awpreview/TextContent.aspx?pId=176|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120408215819/http://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/awpreview/TextContent.aspx?pId=176|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-04-08|title=Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas|date=2012-04-08|access-date=2019-07-06}}</ref>

Countries around the world continued their efforts to tackle crimes committed on-board planes. The [[Tokyo Convention]], drafted in 1958, established an agreement between signatories that the "state in which the aircraft is registered is competent to exercise jurisdiction over crimes committed on board that aircraft while it is in flight".<ref name=":2" /> While the Convention does not make hijacking an international crime, it does contain provisions which obligate the country in which a hijacked aircraft lands to restore the aircraft to its responsible owner, and allow the passengers and crew to continue their journey.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Loy|first=Frank E.|date=1970|title=Some International Approaches to Dealing With Hijacking of Aircraft|journal=The International Lawyer|volume=4|issue=3|pages=444–452|issn=0020-7810|jstor=40704612}}</ref> The Convention came into force in December 1969.

A year later, in December 1970, the [[Hague Hijacking Convention|Hague Convention]] was drafted which punishes hijackers, enabling each state to prosecute a hijacker if that state does not extradite them, and to deprive them from asylum from prosecution.<ref name=":2" />

On December 5, 1972, the [[Federal Aviation Administration|FAA]] issued emergency rules requiring all passengers and their carry-on baggage to be screened.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|title=National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Commercial Aviation Security|publisher=National Academy Press|year=1996|location=Washington D.C|pages=6}}</ref> Airports slowly implemented walk-through [[Magnetometer|metal detectors]], hand-searches and [[X-ray]] machines, to prohibit weapons and explosive devices.<ref name=":3" /> These rules came into effect on January 5, 1973, and were welcomed by most of the public.<ref name=":6" /> In 1974, Congress enacted a statute which provided for the death penalty for acts of aircraft piracy resulting in death.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153 (1976) |url=https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/428/153/#tab-opinion-1951891 |website=Justia |access-date=3 February 2021}}</ref> Between 1968 and 1977, there were approximately 41 hijackings per year.<ref name=":1" />

In the 1970s, in pursuit of their demands for Croatia's independence from the [[Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia]], [[Croatian nationalists]] hijacked several civilian airliners, such as [[Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 130]] and [[TWA Flight 355]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Pluchinsky|first=Dennis|editor1-last=Alexander|editor1-first=Yonah|editor2-last=Myers|editor2-first=Kenneth A.|year=1982|title=Terrorism in Europe|chapter=Political Terrorism in Western Europe: Some Themes and Variations|publisher=Georgetown University|location=London|isbn=0-7099-0728-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BHJKCAAAQBAJ|page=59}}</ref>

=== 1980–2000 ===
By 1980, airport screening and greater cooperation from the international community led to fewer successful hijackings; the number of events had significantly dropped below the 1968 level.<ref>{{cite news|title=The FBI Encyclopedia|last1=Newton|first1=Michael|date=2003|publisher=McFarland|page=315}}</ref> Between 1978 and 1988, there were roughly 26 incidents of hijackings a year.<ref name=":1" /> A new threat emerged in the 1980s: [[Terrorism|organised terrorists]] destroying aircraft to draw attention. For instance, terrorist groups were responsible for the bombing of [[Air India Flight 182]] over the Irish coast. In 1988, [[Pan Am Flight 103]] was bombed flying over Scotland.<ref name=":1" /> Terrorist activity which included hijack attempts in the Middle East were also a cause of concern.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Plane clothes: lack of anonymity at the Federal Air Marshal Service compromises aviation and national security: investigative report|last=On The Judiciary|first=The Committee|publisher=Diane Publishing|year=2006|isbn=978-1428994294}}</ref>

During the 1990s, there was relative peace in the United States airspace as the threat of domestic hijacking was seen as a distant memory.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Miller|first=John M.|date=2007-09-01|title=Conceptualizing the Hijacking Threat to Civil Aviation|journal=Criminal Justice Review|language=en|volume=32|issue=3|pages=209–232|doi=10.1177/0734016807306152|s2cid=146335051|issn=0734-0168}}</ref> Globally, however, hijackings still persisted. Between 1993 and 2003, the highest number of hijackings occurred in 1993 (see table below). This number can be attributed to events in [[China]] where hijackers were trying to gain political asylum in Taiwan.<ref name=":5" /> Europe and the rest of [[East Asia]] were not immune either. On December 26, 1994, [[Air France Flight 8969]] with 172 passengers and crew was hijacked after leaving [[Algiers]]. Authorities believed that the goal was to crash the plane into the [[Eiffel Tower]]. On June 21, 1995, [[All Nippon Airways Flight 857]] was hijacked by a man claiming to be a member of the [[Aum Shinrikyo]] religious cult, demanding the release of its imprisoned leader [[Shoko Asahara]]. The incident was resolved when the police stormed the plane.

On October 17, 1996, the first hijacking that was brought to an end while airborne was carried out by four operatives of the [[Austria]]n [[List of special law enforcement units|special law enforcement unit]] [[EKO Cobra|Cobra]] on a [[Russian Federation|Russian]] [[Aeroflot]] flight from [[Malta]] to [[Lagos]], [[Nigeria]], aboard a [[Tupolev Tu-154]]. The operatives escorted inmates detained for deportation to their homelands and were equipped with weapons and gloves.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://special-ops.org/5332/einsatzkommando-cobra-eko-cobra/|title = Einsatzkommando Cobra – EKO Cobra|date = 3 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.bmi.gv.at/207/Publikationen/files/LawOrder.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.bmi.gv.at/207/Publikationen/files/LawOrder.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=Cobra: Austria's Special Police Commandos |magazine=Law and Order |date=July 2009 |pages=48–52 |access-date=May 24, 2022}}</ref> On 12 April 1999, six [[National Liberation Army (Colombia)|ELN]] members hijacked a [[Fokker 50]] of [[Avianca]] [[Avianca Flight 9463|Flight 9463]], flying from [[Bucaramanga]] to [[Bogotá]]. Many hostages were held for more than a year, and the last hostage was finally freed 19 months after the hijacking.<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/apr/28/features11.g23| title=Terror on flight 9463| newspaper=The Guardian| date=1999-04-28| access-date=2018-10-27| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022232744/https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/apr/28/features11.g23| archive-date=2018-10-22| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>"Recordando los 10 años del secuestro del Fokker de Avianca". Noticias ABC colombia.</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|+Annual hijack incidents, 1993–2003<ref name=":5" />
!Year
|1993
|1994
|1995
|1996
|1997
|1998
|1999
|2000
|2001
|2002
|2003
!Total
|-
!Number
|50
|25
|8
|16
|12
|14
|12
|22
|5
|5
|7
|176
|}

=== 2001–present ===
{{See also|September 11 attacks}}
On September 11, 2001, four airliners were hijacked by 19 [[Al-Qaeda]] [[extremist]]s: [[American Airlines Flight 11]], [[United Airlines Flight 175]], [[American Airlines Flight 77]] and [[United Airlines Flight 93]]. The first two planes were deliberately crashed into the Twin Towers of the [[World Trade Center (1973-2001)|World Trade Center]] in [[New York City]] and the third was crashed into [[The Pentagon]] in [[Arlington County, Virginia]]. The fourth crashed in a field in [[Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania|Stonycreek Township]] near [[Shanksville, Pennsylvania]] after crew and passengers attempted to overpower the hijackers. Authorities believe that the intended target was the [[United States Capitol|U.S. Capitol]] or the [[White House]] in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington DC]]. In total, [[Casualties of the September 11 attacks|2,996 people]] (2,977 if excluding the perpetrators) perished and more than 6,000 were injured in the attacks, making the hijackings the deadliest in modern history.

Following the attacks, the U.S. government formed the [[Transportation Security Administration]] (TSA) to handle airport screening at U.S. airports. Government agencies around the world tightened their airport security, procedures and intelligence gathering.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last1=Stewart|first1=Mark J.|last2=Mueller|first2=John|date=29 April 2008|title=A risk and cost-benefit assessment of United States aviation security measures|journal=Journal of Transportation Security|volume=1|issue=3|pages=143–159|doi=10.1007/s12198-008-0013-0|s2cid=13317666|via=Springer Science}}</ref> Until the September 11 attacks, there had never been an incident whereby a passenger aircraft was used as a weapon of mass destruction. The [[9/11 Commission]] report stated that it was always assumed that a "hijacking would take the traditional form";<ref name="comish">{{Cite web|url=http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report_Ch1.htm|title=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States|website=CyberCemetery|publisher=University of North Texas Libraries/U.S. Government Printing Office|access-date=2019-07-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514052417/http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report_Ch1.htm|archive-date=2008-05-14|url-status=live}}</ref> therefore, airline crews never had a contingency plan for a suicide-hijacking.<ref name="sum">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/22/politics/summary-of-final-report.html|title=Summary of Final Report|date=2004-07-22|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-07-05|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705221731/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/22/politics/summary-of-final-report.html|archive-date=2019-07-05|url-status=live}}</ref> As Patrick Smith, an airline pilot, summarizes:

{{blockquote|One of the big ironies here is the success of the 2001 attacks had nothing to do with airport security in the first place. It was a failure of national security. What the men actually exploited was a weakness in our mind-set{{snd}}a set of presumptions based on decades-long track record of hijackings. In years past, a hijacking meant a diversion, with hostage negotiations and standoffs. The only weapon that mattered was the intangible one: the element of surprise.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book |title=Cockpit confidential : everything you need to know about air travel : questions, answers & reflections |last=Smith, Patrick |isbn=978-1492663973 |edition=Revised and updated |location=Naperville, Illinois |oclc=1039369001|date=2018-06-05 }}</ref>}}

Throughout the mid-2000s, hijackings still occurred but there were much fewer incidents and casualties. The number of incidents had been declining, even before the September 11 attacks. One notable incident in 2006 was the hijacking of [[Turkish Airlines Flight 1476]], flying from [[Tirana]] to [[Istanbul]], which was seized by a man named Hakan Ekinci. The aircraft, with 107 passengers and 6 crew, made distress calls to [[air traffic control]] and the plane was escorted by military aircraft before landing safely at [[Brindisi]], Italy. In 2007, several incidents occurred in the Middle East and [[North Africa|Northern Africa]]; hijackers in one of these incidents claimed to be affiliated with [[Al-Qaeda]].<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/19/europe/turkey.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622142418/http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/19/europe/turkey.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-06-22|title=Pilots and passengers foil hijacking of Turkish jet |journal=International Herald Tribune|date=2008-06-22|access-date=2019-07-06}}</ref> Towards the end of the decade, [[Aeroméxico|AeroMexico]] experienced its first terror incident when [[Aeroméxico Flight 576|Flight 576]] was hijacked by a man demanding to speak with [[Mexican President|President]] [[Felipe Calderón|Calderón]]. In 2007, [[Air West Flight 612|a man failed to hijack a 737-200 with 103 people on board over Chad.]]

Between 2010 and 2019, the [[Aviation Safety Network]] estimates there have been 15 hijackings worldwide with three fatalities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/statistics/period/stats.php?cat=A1|title=Aviation Safety Network > Statistics > By period|last=Ranter|first=Harro|website=aviation-safety.net|access-date=2019-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824230442/https://aviation-safety.net/statistics/period/stats.php?cat=A1|archive-date=2019-08-24|url-status=live}}</ref> This is a considerably lower figure than in previous decades which can be attributed to greater security enhancements and awareness of September 11–style attacks.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/29/hijackings-rare-after-911-security-improvements/82375474/|title=Hijackings rare after 9/11 security improvements|website=USA Today|language=en|access-date=2019-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706110314/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/29/hijackings-rare-after-911-security-improvements/82375474/|archive-date=2019-07-06|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2016/03/30/why-hijackings-are-no-longer-common|title=Why hijackings are no longer common|date=2016-03-30|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=2019-07-06|issn=0013-0613|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706110314/https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2016/03/30/why-hijackings-are-no-longer-common|archive-date=2019-07-06|url-status=live}}</ref> On June 29, 2012, an attempt was made to hijack [[Tianjin Airlines Flight GS7554]] from [[Hotan]] to [[Ürümqi]] in China. More recently was the 2016 hijacking of [[EgyptAir]] [[EgyptAir Flight 181|Flight MS181]], involving an Egyptian man who claimed to have a bomb and ordered the plane to land in [[Cyprus]]. He surrendered several hours later, after freeing the passengers and crew.<ref name=":9" />