Ethiopian Airlines Flight 708
Encyclopedia
Ethiopian Airlines
Flight 708 was a Boeing 720-060B
, due to operate an international scheduled Addis Ababa
–Asmara
–Athens
–Rome
–Paris
passenger service, that experienced a hijacking
attempt on .
seven members of the Eritrean Liberation Front
—six men and a woman— stood up and tried to gain control of the plane. When security guards —there were six of them aboard— opened fired at the terrorists, one of them activated a grenade that exploded in the rear part of the fuselage, damaging the rudder controls. Despite this, the crew turned back the airplane to the airport of origin and managed to land it safely. The aircraft sustained minor damages that were repaired later. Six of the hijackers died onboard, while the seventh one died in a hospital.
Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines , formerly Ethiopian Air Lines, often referred to as simply Ethiopian, is an airline headquartered on the grounds of Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It serves as the country's flag carrier, and is wholly owned by the Government of Ethiopia...
Flight 708 was a Boeing 720-060B
Boeing 720
The Boeing 720 is a four-engine narrow-body short- to medium-range passenger jet airliner. Developed by Boeing in the late 1950s from the Boeing 707, the 720 has a shorter fuselage and less range...
, due to operate an international scheduled Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
–Asmara
Asmara
Asmara is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea, home to a population of around 579,000 people...
–Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
–Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
–Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
passenger service, that experienced a hijacking
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
attempt on .
Summary
Minutes after departing from Haile Selassie I International AirportBole International Airport
Addis Ababa Bole International Airport serves the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The airport is located in the Bole area, south east of Addis Ababa City Centre and north of Debre Zeyit...
seven members of the Eritrean Liberation Front
Eritrean Liberation Front
The Eritrean Liberation Front was the main independence movement in Eritrea which sought Eritrea's independence from Ethiopia during the 1960s and 1970s. In the very late 1950s unorganized political movement seeking independence was secretly active as small cells...
—six men and a woman— stood up and tried to gain control of the plane. When security guards —there were six of them aboard— opened fired at the terrorists, one of them activated a grenade that exploded in the rear part of the fuselage, damaging the rudder controls. Despite this, the crew turned back the airplane to the airport of origin and managed to land it safely. The aircraft sustained minor damages that were repaired later. Six of the hijackers died onboard, while the seventh one died in a hospital.