Narrative:THY flight 145 was hijacked during a domestic flight from Ankara to Istanbul and diverted to the Black Sea coastal city of Trabzon. The Airbus A310 aircraft carried 76 passengers and eight crew members. The plane landed safely, the passengers were released, and the hijacker surrendered to airport authorities. There were no injuries. According to a THY spokesman the hijacker claimed to have a package bomb; however, the Turkish Minister of Transportation stated that he had a plastic toy gun. Press reports indicate that the hijackers motive was to protest the Turkish governments ban on women wearing the traditional Islamic head covering, the chador, at Turkish universities.
This hijacking is considered a politically motivated incident.
Classification:
Hijack
Sources:
» Firuz Altingöz (E-mail, 11-12-2009)
» Abdullah Nergiz (E-mail, 30-6-2010)
» Criminal Acts Against Civil Aviation 1998 / FAA, Office of Civil Aviation Security
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Ankara-Esenboga Airport to Istanbul-Atatürk International Airport as the crow flies is 363 km (227 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.