Narrative:The aircraft was hijacked by a Syrian national being returned to his homeland. The hijacker walked into the cockpit and told the pilot he had a bomb in his pocket. The aircraft was on final approach at Damascus at the time of the hijacking. The hijacker demanded to be taken to Istanbul. During the flight to Istanbul, the hijacker changed his mind and to told the pilot to fly to Stockholm, Sweden. The pilot recommended landing at Istanbul to refuel.
At Istanbul. when the police authorities prevented the aircraft from leaving, the pilot was able to overpower the hijacker and pushed him out of the emergency door. The hijacker was taken into custody.
Classification:
Hijack
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Jeddah-King Abdulaziz International Airport to Damascus International Airport as the crow flies is 1322 km (826 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.