Yemenia Flight 448

Yemenia Flight 448 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight piloted by Captain Amer Anis from Sana'a to al-Hudaydah, Yemen, that was hijacked on 23 January 2001.[1][2][3] The Yemenia Yemen Airways Boeing 727-2N8 departed Sana'a International Airport bound for a stopover at Taiz-Al Janad Airport, Ta'izz.[4] The passengers included the United States Ambassador to Yemen Barbara Bodine, US Deputy Chief of Mission to Yemen, and the Yemeni Ambassador to the US.[3][5]

Yemenia Airways Flight 448
A Yemenia Boeing 727-2N8 similar to the aircraft involved in the incident.
Hijacking
Date23 January 2001
SummaryHijacking
SiteDjibouti–Ambouli International Airport, Djibouti, Djibouti
11°32′50.39″N 43°09′34.13″E
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 727-2N8
OperatorYemenia Airways
Flight originSana'a International Airport, Yemen
StopoverTaiz International Airport, Yemen
DestinationHodeida International Airport, Yemen
Passengers91
Crew10
Fatalities0
Injuries1
Survivors101 (all)

Fifteen minutes after takeoff, a man armed with a pen gun hijacked the aircraft and demanded to be taken to Baghdad, Iraq. In addition to his gun, he claimed to have explosives hidden in his suitcase. The flight crew convinced the hijacker to first divert to Djibouti to refuel.[3][4]

The aircraft made an emergency landing at Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport, where the flight crew, Led by flight captain Amer Anis, then overpowered the hijacker in what US State Department Richard Boucher described the act as "really terrific action".[6] The only injury was to the flight 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]

References
  1. "Yemen Wants Hijacking Suspect". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  2. "US diplomat safe after Yemen hijack". BBC News. 23 January 2001. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  3. Transportation Safety Administration (2001), Criminal Acts Against Civil Aviation (PDF), p. 28, archived (PDF) from the original on 8 February 2011, retrieved 3 May 2011
  4. Hijacking description at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 3 May 2011.
  5. "Crew Foils Hijacking on Yemeni Jet Carrying U.S. Ambassador, 90 Others". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 24 January 2001. p. A4. Retrieved 3 May 2011. (subscription required)
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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