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Aviation History
1973
1973 - 3057.PDF
1050 FLIGHT International, 27 December 1973 Rome hijacking A Lufthansa 737 was hijacked and a Pan American 707 destroyed at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport on December 17; 32 people were re ported killed. The hijack began when five Arab terrorists armed with pistols and machine guns began shooting in the crowded departure area close to the security checkpoint. The Arabs then ran on to the apron and two phos phorus bombs were thrown into the front and rear entrances of a Pan American 707 Celestial Clipper, with 170 passengers on board, which was fuelled and being prepared for de parture to Beirut. In the resultant fire 30 passengers were killed and 18 injured. Reports indicate that one group of terrorists had flown to Rome with Iberia from Madrid and were met by a second group at Leonardo da Vinci. One terrorist is believed to have changed into the uniform of an air port worker. The attack coincided with the opening, in Rome, of the trial of five Arabs accused of plot ting to shoot down an El Al aircraft with SA-7 Grails. The Arabs ran from the burning 707 and, taking six hostages, forced the captain of a Lufthansa 737, which The latest acts of violence against civil aviation perpetrated by Pales tinian guerrillas at Rome and Athens cast a shadow over 1973 which we can only hope will be lifted next year. However stringent the security measures at airports they can never be 100 per cent effective. If someone is determined to use machine guns in a terminal building and throw bombs into parked aircraft, there is little that can be, done once the gun is drawn and the pin pulled. Surely the lesson of Rome is to make sure every per son is searched well before depar ture. On the diplomatic front renewed effort must be exerted to re-con vene an Icao conference on hijack ing. The Rome conference of last autumn failed by just two votes to achieve a two-thirds majority for an Anglo-Swiss-French proposal to bring hijacking and sabotage with in the Chicago Convention and thus to deny airspace to any country harbouring such terrorists. Diplo matic action of this nature must be vigorously pursued, but whether it would stop Palestinian fanaticism is a moot point; one reason for their action is their lack of nationhood. If the latest violence was intended to wreck the Arab-Israeli peace con ference and any subsequent detente, in which the Palestinians might be forgotten, perhaps the Arab nations —for the first time in a good bar gaining position at such talks— might be willing and possibly able to exert pressure to stop the vio lence. But no airport can afford to relax its guard. The Hague Convention at present provides that all signatories bring to trial hijackers, or extradite them to a country where they will be pro secuted, irrespective of where the hijack took place. Non-signatories include Egypt, Libya and Algeria. Kuwait has signed but not ratified the convention. had a crew of seven, to take off for Beirut. When the terrorists learnt that permission to land at Beirut would not be granted the pilot was ordered to fly to Athens. At Athens the Arabs entered into negotiations for the release of two men awaiting trial for the terrorist attack on Athens airport last August. The pilot reported that four of the hostages had been murdered but the aircraft left after 17hr at Athens with out the terrorists' demands being met. One corpse and an injured policeman were taken from the aircraft. The pilot reported that he was flying to Cairo but then headed for Cyprus and towards Beirut. The 737 in fact landed at Damascus where it was refuelled. It then continued its flight and asked for permission to land at Kuwait. Although this was refused, the aircraft was running short of fuel and it landed at Kuwait and taxied to the terminal building. Three hours later the hostages—all alive—and crew were released. The terrorists had radioed reports of the killing of hostages at Athens to put pressure on the Greek authorities. The Arabs were taken for interrogation but officials said that some form of safe conduct guarantee had been given. • This was the third hijack suffered by Lufthansa. In February, 1972, a 707 with 189 passengers was forced to fly to Aden. In October, 1972, a 727 with 13 passengers was hijacked over Cyprus and flown to Zagreb. In exchange for the hostages the West German Government released the three terrorists who were in prison awaiting trial for the Olympic Games massacre. Below, the burnt-out Pan American 707 at Rome after Palestinian guerrillas struck. Left, the Lufthansa Boeing 737 about to leave the terminal area
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