|   5A-ONB, the aircraft involved in the hijacking, photographed in September 2016 | |
| Hijacking | |
|---|---|
| Date | 23 December 2016 | 
| Summary | Hijacking | 
| Site | Malta International Airport, Luqa, Malta | 
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A320-214 | 
| Operator | Afriqiyah Airways | 
| IATA flight No. | 8U209 | 
| ICAO flight No. | AAW209 | 
| Call sign | Afriqiyah 209 | 
| Registration | 5A-ONB | 
| Flight origin | Sabha Airport, Libya | 
| Destination | Mitiga International Airport, Libya | 
| Occupants | 118 | 
| Passengers | 111 | 
| Crew | 7 | 
| Fatalities | 0 | 
| Survivors | 118 | 
Afriqiyah Airways Flight 209 was a domestic passenger flight from Sabha to Tripoli, Libya that was hijacked on 23 December 2016 and made a forced landing in Luqa, Malta. The flight was operated by Afriqiyah Airways, Libya's state airline, and carried 111 passengers: 82 males, 28 females and one infant. [1] The two hijackers later released all of the hostages and surrendered to the authorities. [2]
The aircraft involved was an Airbus A320-214, registration 5A-ONB, msn 3236. The aircraft was equipped with two CFM International CFM56 engines. [3]
The aircraft, carrying seven crew and 111 passengers, [3] had taken off from Sabha International Airport at 08:10 local time and was due to land at Tripoli at 09:20. [4] The two hijackers threatened to blow up the aircraft with hand grenades, according to Malta state television. [2] One hijacker declared himself to be "pro-Gaddafi" and that he would release all passengers, but not the crew, if his unknown demands were accepted. [2] The pilots had tried to land in Libya, but the hijackers refused their request. [2] The aircraft was forced to land at Malta International Airport at 11:32 am local time. [1] The aircraft's engines were still running after it was surrounded by the Maltese military. [5] One hijacker was reported to have appeared at the aircraft door waving a large green flag similar to the Libyan flag under Gaddafi. [6] He then put the flag down and returned inside. [6]
Negotiating teams were placed on standby and Maltese military units arrived at the airport. [2] Upon landing, at least 25 passengers had been released by the two hijackers, and negotiations were held. [5] Following the release of all passengers and crew, the hijackers, Suhah Mussa and Ahmed Ali, surrendered to the Maltese authorities and were taken into custody. [7]
On 2 December 2020, Suhah Mussa was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment and fined €9,990 after he pleaded guilty to the charges against him. [8]