.jpg) D-ABCE, the aircraft involved in the hijacking, pictured at Manchester Airport in 1975 | |
| Hijacking | |
|---|---|
| Date | 13–18 October 1977 (5 days) |
| Summary | Hijacking |
| Site | Initially over the Mediterranean Sea, south of the French coast; subsequently Mogadishu International Airport, Somalia |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-230C |
| Aircraft name | Landshut |
| Operator | Lufthansa |
| IATA flight No. | LH181 |
| ICAO flight No. | DLH181 |
| Call sign | LUFTHANSA 181 |
| Registration | D-ABCE |
| Flight origin | Palma de Mallorca Airport, Palma, Mallorca, Spain |
| Destination | Frankfurt Airport, Frankfurt am Main, West Germany |
| Occupants | 96 |
| Passengers | 87[1][2] (91 including the 4 hijackers)[2] |
| Crew | 5[1][2] |
| Fatalities | 4 (1 crewmember, 3 hijackers) |
| Injuries | 5 (1 flight attendant, 3 passengers, 1 hijacker) |
| Survivors | 92 (All passengers, 4 crew, 1 hijacker) |
Lufthansa Flight 181, a Boeing 737-230C jet airliner (reg. D-ABCE) named Landshut, was hijacked on 13 October 1977 by four militants of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine while en route from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, to Frankfurt am Main, West Germany. The hijacking aimed to secure the release of eleven notorious Red Army Faction leaders held in West German prisons and two Palestinians held in Turkey.[1][3] This event was part of the so-called German Autumn, intended to increase pressure on the West German government.[3] The hijackers diverted the flight to several locations before ending in Mogadishu, Somalia, where the crisis concluded in the early morning hours of 18 October 1977 under the cover of darkness.[3] The West German counter-terrorism unit GSG 9, with ground support from the Somali Armed Forces, stormed the aircraft, rescuing all 87 passengers and four crew members.[1][2] The captain of the flight was killed by the hijackers earlier in the ordeal.[1]
- ^ a b c d e Althammer 1978, pp. 138–156.
- ^ a b c d Probstmeier 2021.
- ^ a b c Geiger 2009, pp. 413–456.