Singapore Airlines is the flag carrier of Singapore with its hub located at Changi Airport, and a member of the Star Alliance. The airline is notable for highlighting the Singapore Girl as its central figure in the corporate branding segment. Widely renowned as one of the best carriers, the airline is ranked as a 5-star airline by Skytrax, and it has also been ranked as the world's best airline five times. The airline operates a variety of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, namely the A350, A380, Boeing 737, Boeing 747 Freighter, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787.
The Airbus A310 is a wide-body aircraft, designed and manufactured by Airbus Industrie, then a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers. Airbus had identified a demand for an aircraft smaller than the A300, the first twin-jet wide-body. On 7 July 1978, the A310 was launched with orders from Swissair and Lufthansa. On 3 April 1982, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight, and the A310 received its type certificate on 11 March 1983.
Indian Airlines Flight 814, commonly known as IC 814, was an Indian Airlines Airbus A300 en route from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India, on Friday, 24 December 1999, when it was hijacked and flown to several locations before landing in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Pan Am Flight 73 was a Pan American World Airways flight from Bombay, India, to New York, United States, with scheduled stops in Karachi, Pakistan, and Frankfurt, West Germany.
The Special Operations Force (SOF) is the primary special forces unit of the Singapore Army responsible for conducting special operations. The SOF is composed of only highly trained regular servicemen from the Commandos formation.
Commandos is the special forces formation of the Singapore Army responsible for conducting special operations. Commandos are tasked with infiltrating behind enemy lines by raiding and reconnaissance operations using airborne raids, helicopter assault and sea landings. The formation is made up of only one battalion, the 1st Commando Battalion, and is based in Hendon Camp.
Ghulam Murtaza Bhutto was a Pakistani politician and leader of al-Zulfiqar, a Pakistani left-wing militant organization. The son of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, he earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and a master's degree from the University of Oxford. Murtaza founded al-Zulfiqar after his father was overthrown and executed in 1979 by the military regime of General Zia-ul-Haq. In 1981, he claimed responsibility for the murder of conservative politician Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi, and the hijacking of a Pakistan International Airlines airplane from Karachi, during which a hostage was killed. In exile in Afghanistan, Murtaza was sentenced to death in absentia by a military tribunal.
Indian Airlines Flight 427, a domestic passenger flight of the Indian Airlines between Srinagar Airport and the Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport, was involved in an aircraft hijacking that took place in India between 24 and 25 April 1993. Commandos from the National Security Guard (NSG) rescued all 141 hostages of the Indian Airlines Boeing 737, on the ground at Amritsar airport. The lone hijacker, Mohammad Yousuf, was killed within 5 minutes of commandos entering the plane, before he could react and harm any of the hostages. The rescue was code-named Operation Ashwamedh.
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 544, a Pakistan International Airlines Fokker F27, was hijacked on 25 May 1998, shortly after it took off from Gwadar International Airport, by three armed men belonging to Baloch Students Organization. The aircraft, with 33 passengers and 5 crew members aboard, had just arrived from Gwadar International Airport, Balochistan, and was set to land in Hyderabad Airport, Sindh. The hijackers demanded that the aircraft be flown to New Delhi, India. The Army's Special Service Group's Haideri Company, 7th Commando Zarrar Battalion, SSG Division, accompanied by members of the Pakistan Rangers, stormed the aircraft, while the Pakistan Police surrounded the plane. The operation concluded with all three hijackers arrested and sentenced to death by Pakistan, with no casualties.
Jett8 Airlines Pte Ltd was a cargo airline based in Singapore, which was incorporated on 8 March 2005. It was the second Singapore-based airline to offer all-cargo flights after Singapore Airlines Cargo. It was a privately owned airline with strategic alliance partnerships with Nippon Cargo Airlines and NYK Line. Jett8 launched its inaugural flight on 23 June 2007 to Hong Kong.
Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 206 was a Garuda Indonesia flight that was hijacked on 28 March 1981, by the Komando Jihad in Indonesia. The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 plane PK-GNJ was hijacked on a domestic flight and forced to land at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. The hijackers demanded the release of their confederates from Indonesian jails and issued other demands. Three days later, the aircraft was stormed by Indonesian special forces. In the ensuing operation, all five hijackers were killed, while the pilot and one Kopassus operative were mortally wounded. All passengers were rescued.
Singapore Changi Airport, commonly known as Changi Airport, is a major international airport that serves Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. As one of the world's busiest airports by international passenger and cargo traffic, it has been rated as the "World's Best Airport" by Skytrax a dozen times, currently holds the title, and was the first airport in the world to hold the accolade for eight consecutive years. It has also been rated as one of the world's cleanest airports and highly rated international transit airports. More than 100 airlines operate from the airport, with nonstop or direct flights to destinations in Asia, Oceania, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
JES Air was founded in 1991 and was one of the first privately owned airlines in Bulgaria. The airline was supported with capital from Singapore-based companies. JES Air was famous for its delays, but despite this, passengers used the airline because of the cheap prices it offered.
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 326 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight that was hijacked by al-Zulfikar terrorists with support of Afghanistan's KhAD, from 2 March to 14 March 1981. It was a routine flight scheduled from Karachi to Peshawar, but the hijackers diverted it to Kabul, Afghanistan, and then Damascus, where the hostage situation ended with the release of prisoners by the Pakistani government.
Lufthansa Flight 592 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that was hijacked on February 11, 1993. The Lufthansa-operated Airbus A310-300 was hijacked by Nebiu Zewolde Demeke, a 20-year old Ethiopian man seeking asylum who forced the pilot to fly to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The aircraft landed safely, and the gunman surrendered peacefully and without incident. He was charged with aircraft hijacking by a United States district court, and was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment.
Singapore Changi Airport, or simply Changi Airport, is the primary civilian airport in the Republic of Singapore, and one of the largest transportation hubs in Southeast Asia. It is located approximately 17.2 km (10.7 mi) northeast from the commercial centre in Changi, on a 13 square kilometres (5.0 sq mi) site.
On 7 March 1983, Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 013, operated by an An-24, was hijacked by four hijackers demanding to go to Austria.
Vietnam Airlines Flight 850 was an international scheduled passenger flight from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City. On 4 September 1992, the Airbus A310-222 serving the flight was hijacked by Ly Tong, a former pilot in the South Vietnam Air Force. He then dropped anti-communist leaflets over Ho Chi Minh City before parachuting out. Vietnamese security forces later arrested him on the ground. The aircraft landed safely, and no one on board was injured. He was released from a Hanoi prison in 1998.
