 A Yemenia Boeing 727-2N8 similar to the aircraft involved in the incident. | |
| Hijacking | |
|---|---|
| Date | 23 January 2001 |
| Summary | Hijacking |
| Site | Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport,Djibouti, Djibouti 11°32′50.39″N43°09′34.13″E / 11.5473306°N 43.1594806°E /11.5473306; 43.1594806 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 727-2N8 |
| Operator | Yemenia Yemen Airways |
| Flight origin | Sana'a International Airport, Yemen |
| Stopover | Taiz International Airport, Yemen |
| Destination | Hodeida International Airport, Yemen |
| Passengers | 91 |
| Crew | 10 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 1 |
| Survivors | 101 |
Yemenia Flight 448 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight piloted by Captain Amer Anis fromSana'a toal-Hudaydah,Yemen, that was hijacked on 23 January 2001.[1][2][3] TheYemenia Yemen AirwaysBoeing 727-2N8 departedSana'a International Airport bound for a stopover atTaiz-Al Janad Airport,Ta'izz.[4] The passengers included theUnited States Ambassador to YemenBarbara Bodine, US DeputyChief of Mission to Yemen, and the Yemeni Ambassador to the US.[3][5]
Fifteen minutes after takeoff, a man armed with apen gun hijacked the aircraft and demanded to be taken toBaghdad, Iraq. In addition to his gun, he claimed to have explosives hidden in his suitcase. The flight crew convinced the hijacker to first divert toDjibouti to refuel.[3][4]
The aircraft made anemergency landing atDjibouti–Ambouli International Airport, where the flight crew, led by flight captain Amer Anis, overpowered the hijacker in what US State Department Richard Boucher described as "really terrific action".[6] The only injury was to theflight engineer, who was grazed by a bullet during the fight.[3]
The hijacker was an unemployed Iraqi who wanted to look elsewhere for employment opportunities. He was extradited to Yemen, and sentenced to 15 years in prison in March 2001.[3]
