40 Years Since The 1985 EgyptAir Hijack In Malta

On a November night in 1985, Malta unexpectedly found itself at the centre of an international crisis. The aircraft was EgyptAir Flight 648, a Boeing 737, which became the unwilling host of a hijacked aircraft.

The incident began when the passenger plane, its destination abruptly changed by the actions of three armed hijackers, was forced to land on Maltese soil.

The arrival of an aircraft under such circumstances was unprecedented. Local authorities, alongside international negotiators, were plunged into a tense standoff, balancing the safety of hostages with the demands of the hijackers.

It was flying from Athens to Cairo when seized and was forced to land at Luqa Airport, Malta. Tragically, around 60 people lost their lives.

On board the plane were passengers of various nationalities, along with six crew members from Egypt, bringing the total number of people on board to 98.

Tonight’s episode of Bla Rispetti, a programme on TVM, will delve deeper into the events of that night, with the investigator revealing details that have never before come to light.

The deaths occurred both from direct violence (the hijackers shot some passengers) and during the storming of the plane by Egyptian commandos, which involved explosives and fire/suffocation.

#MaltaDaily