1973 Rome airport attacks and hijacking

(Redirected from Pan Am Flight 110) Terrorist attacks Not to be confused with 1985 Rome and Vienna airport attacks.

1973 Rome airport attacks

RomeAthens Damascus Kuwaitclass=notpageimage\| Initial attack site at Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino International Airport in Rome and hijacked airliner landing sites
Location	Rome, Italy (primary) Athens, Greece Damascus, Syria Kuwait
Coordinates	41°48′01″N 12°14′20″E / 41.80028°N 12.23889°E / 41.80028; 12.23889 (Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport)
Date	17–18 December 1973 (CET / UTC+01:00)
Target	Aircraft in Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport
Attack type	Terrorism, aircraft hijacking, hostage crisis, firebombing
Deaths	34
Injured	At least 22 (including 1 terrorist)

In December 1973, Fatah, a Palestinian military organization executed series of attacks originating at Rome-Fiumicino Airport in Italy which resulted in the deaths of 34 people. The attacks began with an airport-terminal invasion and hostage-taking, followed by the firebombing of a Pan Am aircraft and the hijacking of a Lufthansa flight.

Pan Am Flight 110 was scheduled to depart from Rome, Italy and arrive in Tehran, Iran, by way of Beirut, Lebanon. On 17 December 1973, shortly before takeoff, the airport terminal and the flight aircraft were attacked and the aircraft was set on fire by armed Palestinian gunmen, resulting in the deaths of thirty persons on the plane and two in the terminal.

Following the Flight 110 attack, the gunmen hijacked Lufthansa Flight 303 and killed two more people. They ended up in the custody of the Kuwaiti authorities.

Background

v t e Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon
Engagements El Al Flight 426 hijacking El Al Flight 253 attack retaliation raid El Al Flight 432 attack TWA Flight 840 hijacking (1969) Avivim school bus bombing Lod Airport massacre Sabena Flight 571 1972 air raid Kiryat Shmona massacre Ma'alot massacre 1974 Nahariya attack Savoy Hotel attack Kfar Yuval hostage crisis Coastal Road massacre 1978 South Lebanon conflict 1979 Ma'alot attack 1979 Nahariya attack Misgav Am hostage crisis 1981 bombing of Lebanon 1982 Lebanon War siege of Beirut International incidents Munich massacre Mossad assassinations following the Munich massacre 1972 raid Israeli Bangkok Embassy hostage crisis 1973 raid Sabena Flight 571 hijacking Attack on the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum 1973 New York City bomb plot 1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack TWA Flight 841 (1974) Pan Am Flight 110 Operation Entebbe

Palestinian insurgency
in South Lebanon

Engagements

International incidents

Main article: Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon

Since the ousting of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from Jordan, following the Jordanian-Palestinian civil war, Palestinian military organizations made South Lebanon their headquarters and base of operations, enlisting militants from Palestinian refugee camps. South Lebanon was referred to as Fatah-land, due to the almost complete control of Fatah and other military Palestinian organizations over this -officially Lebanese- area, which they used to stage attacks against Israel, mainly targeting civilians, and to engage in armed operations abroad, termed "acts of terrorism."

Terminal invasion and firebombing of Pan Am Flight 110

Pan Am Flight 110
Incident
A Pan Am Boeing 707-321, similar to the aircraft involved in the attack
Date	17 December 1973 (1973-12-17)
Summary	Aircraft attack, arson
Site	Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino International Airport 41°48′01″N 12°14′20″E / 41.80028°N 12.23889°E / 41.80028; 12.23889 (Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport)
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 707-321B
Aircraft name	Clipper Celestial
Operator	Pan Am
Registration	N407PA
Flight origin	Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, Italy
Stopover	Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon
Destination	Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran, Iran
Occupants	177
Passengers	167
Crew	10
Fatalities	30
Injuries	20
Survivors	147

On 17 December 1973, Pan Am Flight 110 was scheduled to fly from Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome to Beirut International Airport in Lebanon and then on to Tehran, Iran. At the controls of the Boeing 707-321B (registration N407PA, name Clipper Celestial) were Captain Andrew Erbeck, First Officer Robert Davison, and Flight engineer Kenneth Pfrang.

At approximately 12:51 local time in Rome, just as Flight 110 was preparing to taxi, five suspects made their way through the terminal building, armed with automatic firearms and grenades. The terrorists removed submachine guns from hand-luggage bags and began firing throughout the terminal, shattering windows and killing two people. Pilots and crew in the cockpit of the aircraft were able to observe travelers and airport employees in the building running for cover. Captain Erbeck announced over the plane's public address system that there was "some commotion" in the terminal and instructed all the people on board to get down on the floor.

Several of the gunmen ran across the tarmac toward the Pan American jet, throwing one phosphorus incendiary and other hand grenades through the open front and rear doors of the aircraft. The explosions knocked crew and passengers to the ground, and the cabin filled with thick, acrid smoke from the resulting fires. Stewardesses were able to open the emergency exit over the wing on one side of the plane; the other exit was obstructed by gunmen. The crew attempted to evacuate as many passengers as possible through the available exit, but twenty-nine passengers and purser Diana Perez died on the plane, including all eleven passengers in first class. Four Moroccan officials heading to Iran for a visit, and Bonnie Erbeck, wife of the plane's captain, were among the dead. Captain Erbeck survived the attack. Also killed were fourteen Aramco employees and employee family members. The aircraft itself was destroyed.

Hijacking of Lufthansa Flight 303

Lufthansa Flight 303
Hijacking
A Lufthansa Boeing 737, similar to the aircraft involved in the hijacking
Date	17 December 1973 (1973-12-17)– 18 December 1973 (1973-12-18)
Summary	Aircraft hijacking
Site	Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino International Airport in Rome, Italy 41°48′01″N 12°14′20″E / 41.80028°N 12.23889°E / 41.80028; 12.23889 (Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport)
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 737-100
Operator	Lufthansa
Registration	D-ABEY
Flight origin	Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport
Destination	Munich-Riem Airport, Munich, West Germany
Occupants	19
Passengers	15 (including 5 terrorists)
Crew	4
Fatalities	2 (including 1 on ground)
Injuries	2
Survivors	18

Having assaulted the Pan Am aircraft, the five gunmen took hostage several Italians and Lufthansa ground crew members into Lufthansa Flight 303, waiting to depart for Munich. An Italian border police officer, 20-year-old Antonio Zara, was shot and killed when he first arrived at the scene of the attack and tried to fight the terrorists, after the general alarm had been sounded by the airport's control tower.

The hijackers then forced the crew already on board to move the plane towards the runway in order to take off. For the first part of the plane's taxiing, the aircraft was chased by several Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza vehicles, who abandoned the chase after the hijackers threatened to kill all the hostages on board. At 13:32 hours, just over half an hour from the start of the action, the plane took off for Athens, Greece, where it arrived at 16:50 hours, local Athens time.

The attack was too fast to allow an adequate response from the airport's police forces. At the time, 117 officers were on duty at the airport: 9 carabinieri, 46 customs officers and 62 State Police officers, of which 8 were employed in the anti-sabotage service, a negligible number for an intercontinental airport like Fiumicino. The airport structure was unsuitable for the prevention of terrorist attacks, as it was designed at a time when such events were rare.

Athens stopover

Upon landing in Athens, the terrorists demanded by radio the release of two Palestinian gunmen responsible for an attack on Hellinikon International Airport. They claimed to have killed five hostages, including the plane's first officer. The terrorists then threatened to crash the jet in the middle of Athens if their demands were not met. In reality, only one Italian hostage, Domenico Ippoliti, had been killed and one other hostage wounded. After failing to persuade the Greek authorities on releasing the terrorists, they limited their demands to just refuel and leave. The plane took off again from Athens after sixteen hours on the ground and after the gunmen had released the wounded hostage and dumped the body of the dead hostage onto the tarmac.

Damascus stopover

The plane next headed for Beirut, Lebanon, where Lebanese authorities refused to allow its landing, and blocked the runway with vehicles. Cyprus also refused to allow landing. The terrorists on board ordered the plane to head for Damascus, Syria, allegedly because the plane was running low on fuel. After they landed in the Syrian capital's airport, Air Force Commander Major General Naji Jamil attempted to persuade the Palestinians to release the hostages, but they refused. The Syrians provided food to everyone on board and refueled the plane. They also treated one of the hijackers for a head injury. The plane took off again two to three hours after landing.

Landing in Kuwait

The commandeered jet headed for Kuwait, where Kuwaiti authorities refused to allow it to land. Captain Kroese was ordered by the terrorists to land anyway on a secondary runway. An hour of negotiations between the terrorists and the Kuwaiti authorities ended with the release of all twelve remaining hostages in exchange for "free passage" to an unknown destination for the hijackers. The terrorists were permitted to retain their weapons and, upon leaving the plane, raised their hands to the cameras in a V-for-victory sign.

Aftermath

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The terrorists negotiated their escape, but they were still captured shortly thereafter. The Kuwaiti authorities, after questioning the terrorists, decided not to put them on trial and considered the possibility of handing them over. The factors that came into play at this point were complex, and sparked a diplomatic case that saw the US and many Arab and European countries clashing over the fate of the terrorists and which nation had jurisdiction to prosecute them.

Italy, despite having made a formal request for extradition to the Arab emirate, appeared to have no real intention of detaining and trying the terrorists on its own territory, since the request was bound to failure (Italy had no extradition treaty with Kuwait). What probably encouraged Italy to relent in its efforts to take the matter under its command was the danger that detaining the suspects in Italian prisons could have exposed Italy to retaliation by other Palestinian terrorists in a bid for their release. Subsequently, in fact, the last terrorist who was held in Italy (responsible for the failed attack in Ostia in 1972) was also actually released, probably for the same reason. Other European countries such as the Netherlands also followed this line of thinking. Italy's actions lend credence to the notion that the Italian government had decided to consider the tragic events at Fiumicino in terms of its "national interest", whereby it engaged in compromise that tended towards humiliation.

After gruelling international wrangling, in 1974, Egyptian president Anwar Sadat agreed to the suspects being taken to Cairo under the responsibility of their group, who would process them for conducting an "unauthorized operation". They remained in prison until 24 November 1974, when, following negotiations further to the hijack of a British aircraft in Tunisia (carried out with the precise aim of forcing their release), the five men in the commando were released in Tunisia with the complicity of a good number of Arab and European governments and the US. Thereafter, all news of the men ceased and they were spirited away, perhaps hosted in an Arab country where they went unpunished.

Gallery

References

^ RAND Corporation (3 April 2001). "TKB Incident Page: Other Group attacked Airports & Airlines target (Dec. 17, 1973, Italy)". MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
"Incident Summary for GTDID: 197312170002". Global Terrorism Database. College Park, Maryland: National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
"Incident Summary for GTDID: 197312170003". Global Terrorism Database. College Park, Maryland: National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
"FAA Registry (N407PA)". Federal Aviation Administration.
^ "N407PA (cn 18838/412) "Clipper Celestial"". Wings on the Web. Demand Media, Inc. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
^ "Pilots Wife Died in Fire". The Milwaukee Journal. Newspapers, Inc. AFP. 18 December 1973. p. 1. Archived from the original (scanned) on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2015 – via news.google.com.
^ "TERRORIST ATTACK IN THE ROME AIRPORT – DECEMBER 1973". aramcoexpats.com/obituaries. Aramco ExPats Corporation. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
"State Man Recalls Attack". The Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. 19 December 1973. p. 3 (of Part 1). Archived from the original (scanned) on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2015 – via news.google.com.
^ Ramsden, J. M., ed. (27 December 1973). "Rome hijacking". Flight International. 104 (3380). IPC Transport Press Ltd: 1010. Retrieved 11 February 2015 – via flightglobal.com/pdfarchive. ran on to the apron and two phosphorus bombs were thrown into the front and rear entrances of a Pan American 707 Celestial Clipper, with 170 passengers on board
"Terrorists Release Hostages in Bargain". The Milwaukee Journal. Newspapers, Inc. 18 December 1973. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (digitised) on 1 August 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2015 – via news.google.com.
"It's a Bleak Christmas For Friends, Kin of Dead" (scanned). The Evening Independent. AP. 19 December 1973. p. 20 A. Retrieved 11 February 2015 – via news.google.com.
"Hijacking description: Monday 17 December 1973". aviation-safety.net. Flight Safety Foundation. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
"Hijackers kill 30 in airport bombing". Papua New Guinea Post-courier. International, Australia. 19 December 1973. p. 7. Retrieved 7 August 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
"TERRORISM: Death in Rome Aboard Flight 110". TIME. Vol. 102, no. 27. 31 December 1973. pp. 87–108. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
"Gunmen Punished, P.L.O. Announces". The New York Times. 26 January 1975. p. A1. Retrieved 29 December 2011.

Sources

Death in Rome Aboard Flight 110, TIME, 31 December 1973. Retrieved on 10 April 2007. (subscription required)
"Arab Hijackers Land in Kuwait; Hostages Freed". The New York Times, 19 December 1973. Page 1. (subscription required)
"Arab Guerrillas Kill 31 in Rome During Attack on U.S. Airliner, Take Hostages and Go to Athens". The New York Times, 18 December 1973. Page 1. (subscription required)
Athens attack leaves 3 dead, BBC News, 5 August 1973. Retrieved on 10 April 2007.
Gabriele Paradisi, Rosario Priore: La strage dimenticata Fiumicino 17 December 1973, Reggio Emilia 2015.

v t e Prominent Palestinian militancy attacks in the 1970s
Within Israel	Avivim school bus bombing (May 22, 1970) Lod Airport massacre (May 30, 1972) Kiryat Shmona massacre (April 11, 1974) Ma'alot massacre (May 15, 1974) Nahariya attack (June 24–25, 1974) Beit She'an attack (November 19, 1974) Savoy Hotel attack (March 6, 1975) Kfar Yuval hostage crisis (June 15, 1975) Zion Square refrigerator bombing (July 4, 1975) Coastal Road massacre (March 11, 1978) Nahariya massacre (April 22, 1979)
Gaza Strip	Murder of the Aroyo children (January 2, 1971)
Aircraft attacks and hijackings	Swissair Flight 330 (February 21, 1970) Olympic Airways Flight 255 hijacking (July 22, 1970) Dawson's Field hijackings (September 6–13, 1970) Lufthansa Flight 649 (February 22–23, 1972) Sabena Flight 571 (May 8, 1972) Lufthansa Flight 615 (October 29, 1972) Rome airport attacks and hijacking (December 17–18, 1973) TWA Flight 841 (September 8, 1974) Air France Flight 139 (June 27, 1976) Lufthansa Flight 181 (October 13–18, 1977)
Worldwide	Munich massacre (September 5–6, 1972) Israeli Bangkok embassy hostage crisis (December 28, 1972) Assassination of the Israeli attache in Washington (July 1, 1973) Schoenau ultimatum (September 28–29, 1973) Paris café attack (September 15, 1974) Orly Airport attacks (January, 1975) OPEC siege (December 21, 1975) Yeşilköy airport attack (August 11, 1976) Orly Airport attack (May 20, 1978) London bus attack (August 20, 1978)
Attacks launched from Lebanon 1960s 1980s

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 1973 (1973)
Jan 21 Aeroflot Flight 6263Jan 22 Kano Nigeria Airways Boeing 707 crashJan 29 EgyptAir Flight 741Feb 19 Aeroflot Flight 141Feb 21 Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114Feb 24 Aeroflot Flight 630Feb 26 DeKalb–Peachtree Airport Learjet 24 crashFeb 28 Aeroflot Flight X-167Mar 3 Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 307Mar 5 Nantes mid-air collisionApr 10 Invicta International Airlines Flight 435Apr 23 Aeroflot Flight 2420May 11 Aeroflot Flight 6551May 18 Aeroflot Flight 109May 30 SAM Colombia Flight 601May 31 Indian Airlines Flight 440Jun 3 Paris Air Show Tu-144 crashJun 10 Nepal plane hijackingJun 20 Aeroméxico Flight 229Jul 11 Varig Flight 820Jul 22 Pan Am Flight 816Jul 23 Japan Air Lines Flight 404Jul 23 Ozark Air Lines Flight 809Jul 31 Delta Air Lines Flight 723Aug 13 Aviaco Flight 118Aug 18 Aeroflot Flight A-13Aug 27 Aerocondor Lockheed L-188 Electra crashAug 28 TWA Flight 742Sep 8 World Airways Flight 802Sep 11 JAT Flight 769Sep 27 Texas International Airlines Flight 655Sep 30 Aeroflot Flight 3932Oct 13 Aeroflot Flight 964Nov 2 Aeroflot Flight 19Nov 3 Pan Am Flight 160Nov 3 National Airlines Flight 27Nov 21 US Navy C-117D Sólheimasandur CrashNov 23 Italian Air Force C-47 Argo 16 crashNov 25 KLM Flight 861Dec 16 Aeroflot Flight 2022Dec 17 Iberia Flight 933Dec 17 Pan Am Fl. 110, Lufthansa Fl. 303 hijackingDec 22 Royal Air Maroc Caravelle crash
1972 ◄ ► 1974

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1973 (1973)

Jan 21 Aeroflot Flight 6263Jan 22 Kano Nigeria Airways Boeing 707 crashJan 29 EgyptAir Flight 741Feb 19 Aeroflot Flight 141Feb 21 Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114Feb 24 Aeroflot Flight 630Feb 26 DeKalb–Peachtree Airport Learjet 24 crashFeb 28 Aeroflot Flight X-167Mar 3 Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 307Mar 5 Nantes mid-air collisionApr 10 Invicta International Airlines Flight 435Apr 23 Aeroflot Flight 2420May 11 Aeroflot Flight 6551May 18 Aeroflot Flight 109May 30 SAM Colombia Flight 601May 31 Indian Airlines Flight 440Jun 3 Paris Air Show Tu-144 crashJun 10 Nepal plane hijackingJun 20 Aeroméxico Flight 229Jul 11 Varig Flight 820Jul 22 Pan Am Flight 816Jul 23 Japan Air Lines Flight 404Jul 23 Ozark Air Lines Flight 809Jul 31 Delta Air Lines Flight 723Aug 13 Aviaco Flight 118Aug 18 Aeroflot Flight A-13Aug 27 Aerocondor Lockheed L-188 Electra crashAug 28 TWA Flight 742Sep 8 World Airways Flight 802Sep 11 JAT Flight 769Sep 27 Texas International Airlines Flight 655Sep 30 Aeroflot Flight 3932Oct 13 Aeroflot Flight 964Nov 2 Aeroflot Flight 19Nov 3 Pan Am Flight 160Nov 3 National Airlines Flight 27Nov 21 US Navy C-117D Sólheimasandur CrashNov 23 Italian Air Force C-47 Argo 16 crashNov 25 KLM Flight 861Dec 16 Aeroflot Flight 2022Dec 17 Iberia Flight 933Dec 17 Pan Am Fl. 110, Lufthansa Fl. 303 hijackingDec 22 Royal Air Maroc Caravelle crash

1972 ◄ ► 1974

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in Italy
Before 1940	Francesco Zambeccari (September 1812) Jorge Chávez (September 1910) Verona Caproni Ca.48 crash (August 1919) Dixmude (December 1923)
1940s	Avro York crash (February 1945) Royal Air Force Avro Lancaster crash (September 1948) Superga air disaster (May 1949)
1950s	BOAC Flight 115 (October 1952) Mediterranean Sea mid-air collision (January 1953) BOAC Flight 781 (January 1954) South African Airways Flight 201 (April 1954) Sabena Flight 503 (February 1955) British European Airways Flight 142 (October 1958) TWA Flight 891 (June 1959)
1970s	RAF Hercules crash (November 1971) Alitalia Flight 112 (May 1972) Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 327 (October 1972) Argo 16 (November 1973) Rome airport attacks and hijacking (December 1973) Alitalia Flight 4128 (December 1978) Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 12 (September 1979)
1980s	Itavia Flight 870 (June 1980) Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 460 (October 1987) Uganda Airlines Flight 775 (October 1988)
1990s	Italian Air Force MB-326 crash (December 1990) Banat Air Flight 166 (December 1995) Air Littoral Flight 701A (July 1997) Cavalese cable car crash (February 1998)
2000s	Linate Airport disaster (October 2001) Pirelli Tower crash (April 2002) Tuninter Flight 1153 (August 2005) Air Algérie Flight 2208 (August 2006)
2010s	ASL Airlines Hungary Flight 7332 (August 2016)
2020s	National Aerobatic Team Aermacchi MB-339 crash (September 2023)

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in Greece
1960s	El Al Flight 253 attack (December 1968) Olympic Airways Flight 954 (December 1969)
1970s	Olympic Airways Flight 255 hijacking (July 1970) Lufthansa Flight 303 hijacking (December 1973) Olympic Airways Flight 830 (November 1976) Olympic Airways Flight 411 (August 1978) Swissair Flight 316 (October 1979)
1980s	Trans World Airlines Flight 847 (June 1985) TWA Flight 840 bombing (April 1986) Olympic Aviation Flight 545 (August 1989)
1990s	Aerosvit Flight 241 (December 1997)
2000s	Malév Flight 262 (July 2000) Helios Airways Flight 522 (August 2005) Turkish Airlines Flight 1476 (October 2006)
2020s	Meridian Flight 3032 (July 2022)
Crashes in water near Greece: Cyprus Airways Flight 284 (October 1967) · TWA Flight 841 (September 1974)

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in Syria
Before 2011	Pan Am Flight 121 (June 1947) TWA Flight 840 hijacking (August 1969) Buffalo 461 (August 1974) Lufthansa Flight 303 (December 1973) ČSA Flight 540 (August 1975) Pakistan International Airlines Flight 326 (March 1981)
Aviation incidents during the Syrian civil war	Turkish F-4 Phantom shootdown (June 2012) Syrian Air Force An-26 crash (January 2015) Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown (November 2015) Ja'Din shootdown incident (June 2017) Russian Air Force Antonov An-26 crash (March 2018) Syria missile strikes (September 2018) Turkish drone shootdown (October 2023)

Lufthansa Group

Subsidiaries

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Cargo airlines	Lufthansa Cargo
50% joint venture airlines	AeroLogic (with DHL) SunExpress (with Turkish Airlines)
Non-airline subsidiaries	AirPlus Global Load Control LSG Group Lufthansa Consulting Lufthansa Aviation Training Lufthansa Systems Lufthansa Technik
Former	British Midland International Condor German Cargo Germanwings Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter Lufthansa Italia SunExpress Deutschland Swiss Global Air Lines Team Lufthansa