Narrative:A Saudi Arabian Airlines aircraft with 185 passengers onboard was hijacked during a flight from Jeddah to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The hijacker was an Ethiopian who had tried to find work in Saudi Arabia, but he failed and was being returned. He did not want to return to Ethiopia, however, and used a small letter opener to try and reroute the plane. The aircraft landed in Asmara, Eritrea, where the hijacker was arrested without incident by the authorities.
Classification:
Hijack
Sources:
» Criminal Acts Against Civil Aviation 1995 / U.S. Department of Transport, FAA, Office of Civil Aviation Security
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 Addis Ababa-Bole Airport as the crow flies is 1404 km (878 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.