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EgyptAir Flight 181

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EgyptAir Flight 181
The aircraft involved in the incident, in 2010
Hijacking
Date29 March, 2016 (2024-03-29UTC20:16)
SummaryHijacking
SiteLarnaca International Airport Larnaca, Cyprus
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAirbus A320-200
OperatorEgyptAir
RegistrationSU-GCB[1]
Flight originBorg El Arab Airport, Alexandria, Egypt[1]
DestinationCairo International Airport, Cairo, Egypt[1]
Passengers56[2]
Crew7 (including 1 EgyptAir security officer)[2]
Survivors63 (all)[3]

EgyptAir Flight 181 (MS181/MSR181)[a] was a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Borg El Arab Airport, Alexandria, to Cairo International Airport, Egypt. On 29 March 2016, the Airbus A320 flying this route was hijacked and was diverted to Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus. Shortly after landing, most passengers and crew were released by the hijacker. The hijacker, who wore what he claimed was an explosive belt, surrendered about seven hours later, and everybody escaped from the aircraft unharmed. The explosive belt was later confirmed to have been a fake.[4]

Hijacking

Flight 181 departed Borg El Arab Airport in Alexandria at 06:38 local time (UTC+2) for a short flight to Cairo International Airport, carrying 56 passengers plus seven crew.[1][5] After takeoff, the pilot was informed that a passenger claiming to be wearing an explosive belt demanded that the aircraft be flown to Cyprus.[6][5] A passenger later reported that, during the flight, the flight attendants collected the passengers' passports, which was unusual for a domestic flight. The plane then started gaining altitude, and it was announced that they were diverting to Larnaca.[7]

The aircraft safely landed at Larnaca International Airport in Larnaca, at 08:46 local time (UTC+3), and stopped in a remote parking area. The airport was then closed to all incoming and outgoing traffic.[8]

The hijacker soon released most of the passengers, with four crew and three foreign nationals remaining on the aircraft. He demanded to see his estranged wife and sought asylum in Cyprus.[8][9] He was also photographed handing over a four-page letter, reportedly addressed to his wife.[10]

Cypriot state media said that the hijacker wanted the release of female prisoners in Egypt,[11][12] and, according to Egyptian officials, the hijacker had been asking to speak to European Union officials.[13]

During a press conference, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades was asked by a reporter if "everything [the hijacking] was about a woman"; he joked, "always, there is a woman involved".[6] Anastasiades' response was criticised[by whom?] as misogynist.[14]

Seven more people later exited the plane via the stairs and a crew member climbed down a cockpit window.[15] At 14:41 local time, the Cypriot foreign ministry tweeted that the hijacking was over and the hijacker had been arrested.[16] None of the passengers or crew were harmed. In an earlier tweet, the ministry revealed the hijacker as Seif Eldin Mustafa, an Egyptian national.[17]

Later in the day, photos of the hijacker posing with other passengers on the flight surfaced online. In one picture, a passenger is seen smiling beside Mustafa, whose fake explosive belt was visible underneath his coat.[18]

As a result of security concerns, officials at Cairo International Airport delayed the departure of a flight bound for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.[19]

Persons on board

People on board by nationality[6]
Nationality Passengers Crew
 Belgium 2 0
 Egypt 30 7[b]
 France 1 0
 Greece 2 0
 Italy 1 0
 Netherlands 4 0
 Syria 1 0
 United Kingdom 4 0
 United States 8 0
Other 3 0
Total 56 7

There were six Egyptian crew members and one Egyptian security official on Flight 181.[6] The passengers' nationalities are noted in the adjacent table.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a twelve-year-old Airbus A320-200, registered as SU-GCB, MSN 2079. Its first flight was on 8 July 2003, and it was delivered to EgyptAir on 31 October 2003.[20]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ MS is the IATA designator and MSR is the ICAO airline designator. These codes are commonly used in flight numbers.[citation needed]
  2. ^ Includes 1 EgyptAir security official.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "MS181 Flight Status". Flightradar24.
  2. ^ a b "EGYPTAIR FLIGHT MS181" (Press release). EGYPTAIR. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  3. ^ Egypt Air [@EGYPTAIR] (29 March 2016). "All hostages released" صرح مصدر مسئول بمصر للطيران أنه تم الأفراج عن جميع الرهائن والقبض على المختطف، هذا وسوف نوافيكم بآخر المستجدات أول بأول. [Official sources at EGYPTAIR declared the release of all the hostages and the arrest of the hijacker.] (Tweet) (in Arabic). Retrieved 29 March 2016 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ "EgyptAir hijack: Suicide belt worn by the hijacker was fake | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dna. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Egypt Air Domestic Flight Hijacked, Lands in Cyprus". Bloomberg Business. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d "EgyptAir hijack: Man surrenders at Larnaca airport". BBC News. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  7. ^ Rothwell, James (29 March 2016). "EgyptAir hijacked plane: Man 'demands to have letter sent to his ex-wife' after taking passengers hostage". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Egypt plane hijacked – latest". BBC News. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  9. ^ "'Hijacked plane with suspected bomb lands in Cyprus". ITV. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  10. ^ @MailOnline (29 March 2016). "The moment #EgyptAir hijacker 'hands over letter for his ex-wife' dailym.ai/1St7030" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 March 2016 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ @SkyNewsBreak (29 March 2016). "Cypriot state broadcaster has reported #Egyptair flight #MS181 hijacker is asking for the release of prisoners in Egypt" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ "Hijacked Plane: Foreign Hostages Held On Jet". Sky News. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  13. ^ "Sky News Live". 29 March 2016. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  14. ^ Anastasiou, Angelos (30 March 2016). "'Sexism' and 'selfies', the bizarre aspects of a hijacking". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  15. ^ "EgyptAir plane hijacker arrested at Cyprus airport". The Guardian. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  16. ^ @CyprusMFA (29 March 2016). "Its over. The #hijacker arrested. #LarnacaAirport # Egyptair" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Thompson, Nick (29 March 2016). "Hijacked EgyptAir flight MS181: Live updates". CNN. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  18. ^ Booth, Robert (29 March 2016). "Images allegedly show EgyptAir hijacker posing for selfies with 'bomb'". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  19. ^ Michael Georgy (29 March 2016). "Cairo airport delays departure of New York-bound Egyptair flight - security sources". Reuters. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  20. ^ "Egyptair SU-GCB (Airbus A320 – MSN 2079)". Airfleets.net. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
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