| Date: | Friday 23 December 2016 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Airbus A320-214 |
| Owner/operator: | Afriqiyah Airways |
| Registration: | 5A-ONB |
| MSN: | 3236 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2007 |
| Engine model: | CFMI CFM56-5B4/P |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 118 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Unlawful Interference |
| Location: | Malta-Luqa Airport (MLA) -
 Malta
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Sebha Airport (SEB/HLLS) |
| Tripoli International Airport (TIP/HLLT) | |
| Confidence Rating: |
Afriqiyah Airways flight 209, an Airbus A320, was en route from Sebha to Tripoli, Libya when it was hijacked. Two hijackers, claiming to be armed with a hand grenade, demanded to be flown to Malta.
The aircraft landed on Malta-Luqa Airport's runway 31 at 11:32 local time and taxied onto runway 23. The aircraft stopped near the end of runway 23.
At 13:50 local time the hijackers began releasing passengers. At the end of the afternoon both hijackers surrendered.
The hijackers reportedly tried to draw attention to a new Libyan political party in favor of the former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
In December 2020, one of the hijackers was sentenced to a jail time of 25 years.
Sources:
Times of Malta
Flightradar24
Location
Images:
photo (c) Flightradar24; Malta-Luqa Airport (MLA); 23 December 2016
Revision history:
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