40 years ago, a flight with 193 Indians was hijacked in Karachi: What happened next
Pan Am Flight 73 was a Mumbai-Frankfurt-New York flight carrying 379 passengers and crew when it was hijacked during its stopover in Karachi on Sept 5, 1986.
On September 5, 1986, Pan Am Flight 73 carrying 379 passengers and crew was hijacked during a stopover in Karachi. The four armed men, disguised as airport security personnel, forced the pilot, co-pilot, and engineer to escape through the emergency hatch, leaving the aircraft immobilized. The hijackers demanded the release of friends in Cyprus prisons and the sending of pilots to fly the plane to Cyprus.
Pakistani commandos stormed the aircraft around 9:40 p.m., killing four of the hijackers and capturing the other two. Among those killed was 23-year-old Indian flight attendant Neerja Bhanot, who was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra for her bravery in saving lives. The four terrorists were members of the Palestinian Abu Nidal terrorist group and were tried and convicted, with their death sentences later commuted to life in prison.
The hijacking led to tightened security at Indian international airports and reviews of airport security measures.
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