KLM Flight 861

KLM Flight 861, operated by a Boeing 747 registered as PH-BUA and named "The Mississippi", was hijacked on 25 November 1973, in Iraqi airspace whilst on a scheduled Amsterdam-Tokyo flight with 247 passengers on board.

KLM Flight 861

PH-BUA at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on 29 November 1973
Hijacking
Date	25 November 1973 (1973-11-25)
Summary	Aircraft hijacking
Site	Dubai
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 747-206B
Aircraft name	The Mississippi
Operator	KLM
IATA flight No.	KL861
ICAO flight No.	KLM861
Call sign	KLM 861
Registration	PH-BUA
Flight origin	Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Stopover	Ellinikon International Airport, Athens, Greece
1st stopover	Beirut International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon
2nd stopover	Palam Airport, Delhi, India
Destination	Tokyo International Airport, Tokyo, Japan
Occupants	264
Passengers	247
Crew	17
Fatalities	0
Survivors	264

The crew with minister Tjerk Westerterp after the incident

Hijacking

KLM Flight 861, captained by Issac Risseeuw, was a scheduled flight from Amsterdam to Tokyo-Haneda with planned stops at Athens, Beirut, and Delhi. The airplane was en route over Iraq when it was hijacked by three passengers, claiming to be members of the Arab Youth Organization for the Liberation of Palestine. They forced the plane to Damascus, Nicosia, Tripoli, Malta, and finally Dubai where the hijackers surrendered to authorities. All 247 passengers and 17 crew survived the hijacking.

Aftermath

The hijack was claimed by the Arab Nationalist Youth Organization. The flight number is still used for the Amsterdam to Tokyo direct route.