Singapore Airlines Flight 117
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| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 26, 1991 |
| Type | Aircraft hijacking |
| Site | Singapore Changi Airport |
| Passengers | 114 (excluding hijackers) |
| Crew | 9 |
| Injuries | 2 |
| Fatalities | 4 (hijackers) |
| Survivors | 114 (all, excluding hijackers) |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A310-300 |
| Operator | Singapore Airlines |
| Tail number | 9V-ST* |
| Flight origin | Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport |
| Destination | Singapore Changi Airport |
On March 26, 1991, Singapore Airlines Flight 117 was hijacked by four male passengers, claiming to be Pakistanis. After demands were not met, the hijackers threatened to begin killing hostages. Soon after, commandos stormed the plane, freeing all hostages unhurt and killing the four men.[1]
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[edit] Timeline of events
The plane, an Airbus A310,[2] had taken off from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at 6:15 pm SST, with 118 passengers and 11 crew on board. The plane was hijacked in mid-air while en route to Singapore Changi Airport, and landed safely at Changi Airport at 10:15 pm, where an executive group of officials from the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, along with Singapore Airlines representatives and a negotiating team, were all standing by.
The hijackers, who claimed to be members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), demanded the release of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, as well as other PPP members from jail. Furthermore, the hijackers wanted the plane to be refuelled in order to fly to Australia. The next morning, on March 27 at 2:30 am, the hijackers pushed two stewards out of the aircraft, after moving the plane to outer tarmac. The injured stewards assisted in the ongoing investigations.
At 6:45 am, the hijackers gave a last 5-minute deadline, and issued a threat to kill one passenger every ten minutes if demands were still not met. With three minutes to go, orders were given to set the plan in motion, and the Singapore Armed Forces Commando Formation (SAF CDO FN) stormed the plane in a 30-second sweep, killing all 4 hijackers and leaving the hostages uninjured. The plane was completely secured by 6:50 am.
[edit] Aftermath
The then Prime Minister of Singapore Goh Chok Tong commended all that were involved in handling the ordeal and rescue mission for their swiftness and efficiency. Captain Stanley Lim, the pilot of the flight, and Superintendent Foo Kia Juah, chief Police negotiator, received the Public Service Star for their roles. The SAF CDO FN were awarded the Medal for Valour, and others in the negotiating team were given Presidential Certificates of Commendation.
Several years later, the Singapore Armed Forces finally acknowledged that the unit involved in resolving the incident was a classified Singapore Special Operations Force, an elite counter-terrorism and special reconnaissance and operations unit.
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