Ethiopian Airlines Flight 708

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 708

An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 720 similar to the incident aircraft
Incident
Date	8 December 1972 (1972-12-08)
Summary	Attempted hijacking
Site	Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 720-060B
Operator	Ethiopian Airlines
Flight origin	Haile Selassie I International Airport
1st stopover	Asmara International Airport
2nd stopover	Ellinikon International Airport
3rd stopover	Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport
Destination	Charles de Gaulle Airport
Fatalities	7 hijackers
Survivors	87

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 8 December 1972.

Summary

Minutes after departing from Haile Selassie I International Airport bound for Paris, when the aircraft was flying at some 29,000 feet (8,800 m), seven members of the Eritrean Liberation Front stood up and tried to gain control of the plane. Onboard security guards opened fire on the hijackers, killing six. During the firefight a hand grenade that was armed by one of the hijackers was rolled down the aisle by a passenger. The grenade exploded in the rear part of the fuselage, some 6 inches (150 mm) off the plane's centreline, blowing a hole in the cabin floor and damaging or severing several controls of the aircraft, including those of throttle of two engines, of the rudder, and of the horizontal stabiliser. Despite this, the crew turned back the airplane to the airport of origin and managed to land it safely; it sustained minor damages that were repaired later. The seventh hijacker died in hospital of their injuries.

See also

• Ethiopian Airlines accidents and incidents
• List of aircraft hijackings