Back بان أمريكان الرحلة 73 Arabic Αεροπειρατεία στην Πτήση 73 της Pan Am Greek Vuelo 73 de Pan Am Spanish پرواز شماره ۷۳ پانآم Persian Pan Amin lento 73 Finnish Vol Pan Am 73 French Voo 73 de Pan Am Galician חטיפת טיסה 73 של פאן אם HE पैन ऍम उड़ान ७३ Hindi Pan Am Penerbangan 73 ID
 N656PA, the aircraft involved in the hijacking, in May 1983 | |
| Hijacking | |
|---|---|
| Date | 5 September 1986 |
| Summary | Hijacking |
| Site | Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan 24°54′24″N 67°09′39″E / 24.90667°N 67.16083°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 747-121 |
| Aircraft name | Clipper Empress of the Seas |
| Operator | Pan American World Airways |
| IATA flight No. | PA73 |
| ICAO flight No. | PAA73 |
| Call sign | CLIPPER 73 |
| Registration | N656PA |
| Flight origin | Sahar Airport, Mumbai, India |
| Stopover | Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, Pakistan |
| Last stopover | Frankfurt am Main Airport Frankfurt, West Germany |
| Destination | John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, United States |
| Occupants | 379 |
| Passengers | 360 |
| Crew | 19 |
| Fatalities | 21[1] |
| Injuries | 120 |
| Survivors | 358 |
Pan Am Flight 73 was a Pan American World Airways flight from Bombay, India, to New York City, United States, with scheduled stops in Karachi, Pakistan, and Frankfurt, West Germany.
On September 5, 1986, the Boeing 747-121 serving the flight was hijacked while on the ground at Karachi by four armed Palestinian terrorists of the Abu Nidal Organization. The aircraft, with 360 passengers on board, had just arrived from Bombay.[2] A grand jury later concluded that the militants were planning to use the hijacked airliner to pick up Palestinian prisoners in both Cyprus and Israel.[3]
More than twenty passengers were killed during the hijacking, including nationals from India, the United States, Pakistan, and Mexico. All the hijackers were arrested and sentenced to death in Pakistan. However, the sentences were later commuted to life in prison. Senior Purser Neerja Bhanot was shot dead and posthumously received four awards: India's highest peacetime award for bravery, the Ashok Chakra Award, the United States Special Courage award, and two awards from Pakistan, which were Tamgha-e-Pakistan, the fourth highest civil award from Pakistan for her efforts to save passengers' lives, and the Nishan-e-Pakistan.[4]
- ^ "Jordanian Hijacker Sentenced in D.C. for 1986 Hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 as Victims from Around the World Recount Horrors" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: Federal Bureau of Investigation. May 14, 2004. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
- ^ "Pan Am Flight-73 alleged hijacker 'killed' in drone attack in Pakistan". Asian Tribune.
- ^ "United States of America v. Wadoud Muhammad et al Indictment" (PDF). justice.gov. United States Department of Justice. June 11, 2001. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
- ^ "24 yrs after Pan Am hijack, Neerja Bhanot killer falls to drone". The Times of India. January 17, 2010. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011.