The world was horrified to witness the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 which was traveling from Mumbai to New York via Karachi on Sep 5, 1986. The terrible incident happened during parking at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan.

It is one of the worst and most well-known hijacking events in history compared to other aviation-related terrorist attacks. It killed 21 passengers and injured several people belonging to different Eastern and Western countries.

Pan Am Flight 73 Hijacking

Pan Am Flight 73 was a Pan American World Airways flight from Bombay, India to New York, United States. It had scheduled stops in Karachi, Pakistan, and Frankfurt, West Germany.

Pan Am Flight 73, which had taken off from Mumbai, made a scheduled stop at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi at 4:30 a.m. There were around 349 passengers, 13 Indian flight attendants, and an American flight crew with 9 babies on the flight.

Around 109 passengers got off the plane in Karachi. The hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 started as soon as new passengers from Karachi arrived at the aircraft and stood on the runway.

Two hijackers in sky-blue Pakistan Airport Security Force uniforms drove a van with a siren and flashing lights to the plane. They rushed up the aircraft ramp while firing into the air while passing through the airport’s security checkpoint.

Meanwhile, two other hijackers joined fake Pakistani security officers. One of them wore a shalwar Kameez (Pakistani national dress) carrying guns and explosives in a briefcase.

The violent arrival of hijackers killed two Kuwait Airlines employees working on an aircraft nearby as a result of the shooting. The hijackers also shot a flight attendant’s foot forcing him to seal the door of Pan Am Flight 73.

Hijackers on Pan Am Flight 73

Indian flight attendant Neerja Bhanot conveyed the hijack code to the cockpit crew out of sight of the hijackers upon Pan Am Flight 73 hijacking. Meanwhile, the cockpit crew escaped through the overhead emergency hatch using Inertial Reel Escape Device.

The cockpit crew is responsible for operating and navigating aircraft. Captain William Allen Bill Kianka, First Officer Conway Tehan Dodge Sr., and Flight Engineer John Joseph Ridgway were among the cockpit crew.

Later, four hijackers were identified as Zayd Hassan Abd-al-Latif Safarini, Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim, Muhammad Abdullah Khalil Hussain Ar-Rahayyal, and Muhammad Ahmed Al-Munawar.

Demand for Pilot

Shortly after taking over the airplane, the lead hijacker Zayd Hassan Abd-al-Latif Safarini found that the cockpit crew had managed to escape. It meant he would have to engage in negotiations with authorities.

Hence, Zayd Hassan passed through the middle of the aircraft and caught Indian-American citizen Rajesh Kumar around 10 a.m. He instructed Rajesh to approach the front of the airplane, kneel in the front doorway, and turn to face it with his hands behind his head.

Hijacker Zayd Hassan threatened to shoot Rajesh if the crew was not sent on the plane in 30 minutes while negotiating with officials, Pan Am’s Pakistan operating chief Viraf Daroga. However, Zayd Hassan shot down Rajesh Kumar on the way when officials did not send a crew to the plane.

Deadlock between hijackers and Pakistani authorities

The hijackers pursued talks with Pakistani authorities and a local Pan-Am representative who did not follow their (hijackers) deadlines. After a deadlock of more than 10 hours, Pakistani officials cut down the plane’s power supply at around 9 p.m.

The hijackers forced the hostages to gather in the middle of the plane as the lights went out. Soon after, emergency power failed and the plane turned totally black.

Then, hijackers opened fire randomly on hostages with machine guns believing that security forces were attacking the aircraft. As a result, several hostages were hurt and 21 passengers died.

Meanwhile, some of the alive hostages forcibly opened escape doors. Flight attendants also helped passengers escape the hijacked plane. The crew of Pan Am Flight 73 showed incredible bravery and calmness saving the lives of hostages in the face of grave danger.

The brave Indian flight attendant Neerja Bhanot was shot dead after hiding the passports of passengers to save their lives. As hijackers were killing passengers based on specific nationalities. Neerja got critically injured and ultimately died.

The Indian government honored Neerja Bhanot with India’s highest peacetime heroism medal, Ashoka Chakra for her efforts to rescue passengers. A 2016 Indian movie Neerja portrayed the events of Pan Am Flight 73 hijacking and Neerja’s life.

Rescue attack

Special Service Group (SSG) under the command of Brigadier Tariq Mehmood was in charge of rescuing Pan Am Flight 73’s passengers. After the power unit failed, the SSG Commandos moved closer to the plane.

They started attacking the plane’s interior part when they heard gunfire. Some passengers had already begun escape when commandos arrived at the plane. However, they rescued the remaining passengers and staff while arresting all four hijackers.

Victim Passengers of Pan Am Flight 73

There were a total of 388 passengers from Europe, the US, the UK, Pakistan, India, Australia, and Mexico. The dead passengers were citizens of the UK, the US, France, India, and Germany.

However, around 150 injured passengers were from the UK, the US, Pakistan, Mexico, Italy, Ireland, and India.

Click here to read the updates on Army Public School Attack that massacred 132 children

Aftermath of Pan Am Flight 73 hijacking

All four hijackers Zayd Hassan Abd-al Latif Safarini, Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim, Muhammad Abdullah Khalil Hussain Ar-Rahayyal, and Muhammad Ahmed Al-Munawar were found guilty in Pakistani court on July 6, 1988.

Pakistani court charged them with offenses of hijacking and murder while announcing the death penalty. Afterward, the death sentences were reduced to life sentences in prison.

Meanwhile, Pakistan handed over Zayd Hassan to the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States) in September 2001. The US Court gave him a 160-year prison sentence on May 13, 2005.

During the court hearing, Zayd acknowledged that he and other hijackers were members of the terrorist group, Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) when they committed crimes.

Pan Am Flight 73 hijacking came as part of ANO mission to release their impronsed companions in Israel and other Western countries.

Zayd Hassan Abd-al Latif Safarini

ANO was popular for terror acts against Israel, the United States, and other Western Countries. It was a Palestinian-based militant organization. Pakistani officials deported the remaining three prisoners to Palestine in 2008.

Conclusion

The terrible and gloomy episode in aviation history was the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi. It brought the world’s attention to how sensitive air travel is to terrorism and how important it is to maintain precautionary watchfulness and readiness.

Even though airline security has improved globally since the tragic day of the hijacking, the memory of 21 innocent lives has been carved into our hearts and minds forever.