Aer Lingus Flight 164
Encyclopedia
Aer Lingus
flight EI 164 was a scheduled Boeing 737
passenger flight, from Dublin Airport
in the Republic of Ireland to London Heathrow Airport
, which was hijacked on 2 May 1981.
Five minutes out of Heathrow, Laurence James Downey, a 55-year-old Australian, went into the toilet and doused himself in petrol before going to the cockpit with a cigarette lighter in hand. He initially demanded to be taken to Iran
; when told there was insufficient fuel he specified France. The plane landed at Le Touquet – Côte d'Opale Airport and negotiators began discussions with Downey. He demanded that Pope John Paul II
make public the Third Secret of Fatima. After nearly 10 hours of standoff, French special forces stormed the plane and apprehended Downey. No shots were fired and nobody was injured. In February 1983, Downey was sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment for air piracy. He was a former Trappist
monk who had spent time in the Soviet Union
and espoused a variety of fringe theories.
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...
flight EI 164 was a scheduled Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
passenger flight, from Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
in the Republic of Ireland to London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
, which was hijacked on 2 May 1981.
Five minutes out of Heathrow, Laurence James Downey, a 55-year-old Australian, went into the toilet and doused himself in petrol before going to the cockpit with a cigarette lighter in hand. He initially demanded to be taken to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
; when told there was insufficient fuel he specified France. The plane landed at Le Touquet – Côte d'Opale Airport and negotiators began discussions with Downey. He demanded that Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
make public the Third Secret of Fatima. After nearly 10 hours of standoff, French special forces stormed the plane and apprehended Downey. No shots were fired and nobody was injured. In February 1983, Downey was sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment for air piracy. He was a former Trappist
TRAPPIST
TRAPPIST is Belgian robotic telescope in Chile which came online in 2010, and is an acronym for TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope, so named in homage to Trappist beer produced in the Belgian region. Situated high in the Chilean mountains at La Silla Observatory, it is actually...
monk who had spent time in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and espoused a variety of fringe theories.