HC Deb 04 December 1985 vol 88 cc246-7W
Mr. Peter Bruinvels

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all aircraft hijacking incidents in the United Kingdom since 1970 which required a police presence or intervention; and if, for each incident, he will estimate the policing costs involved.

Mr. Giles Shaw

The incidents concerned are as follows. The additional cost to the police of handling the incidents could not be determined without disproportionate cost.6 September 1970 An attempted hijack of an E1 A1 Boeing 707 en route from Amsterdam to New York was foiled when one of the two hijackers was shot dead by armed sky marshals and the other was overpowered by the crew. The aircraft made a emergency landing at Heathrow airport where the second hijacker was taken into police custody. 11 January 1977 A lone hijacker threatened to blow up a TWA Boeing 747 over the Atlantic whilst en route from New York to London. The crew recognised the man as being mentally disturbed and were able to restrain him until after the aircraft landed at Heathrow where the police boarded the aircraft and took the man into custody. 26 February 1982 Five Tanzanians hijacked a Tanzanian Airways internal flight. After refuelling at Nairobi the aircraft travelled to Jeddah and Athens before finally arriving at Stansted on 27 February 1982. After negotiations the aircrew were released the following day and the five men surrendered to the police. 29 March 1985 A lone male British national who was being deported from the Federal Republic of Germany hijacked a Lufthansa Boeing 737 en route from Hamburg to London. The aircraft landed safely at Heathrow and after a period of negotiations the hijacker, who proved to be unarmed and seemingly mentally unstable, surrendered to the police.