Indian Airlines Flight 405
On 5 July 1984, nine hijackers forced Indian Airlines Flight 405, an Airbus A300 on a domestic flight from Srinagar Airport to the Delhi-Palam Airport with 254 passengers and 10 crew on board, to be flown to Lahore Airport in Pakistan.
An Indian Airlines A300, similar to the aircraft involved in the hijack | |
| Hijacking | |
|---|---|
| Date | 5 July 1984 |
| Summary | Terrorist hijacking |
| Site | Lahore Airport, Punjab, Pakistan 31°31′17″N 74°24′12″E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A300 |
| Operator | Indian Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | IC405 |
| ICAO flight No. | IAC405 |
| Flight origin | Srinagar Airport |
| Destination | Palam Airport |
| Occupants | 264 (including 9 hijackers) |
| Passengers | 254 |
| Crew | 10 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
The hijackers were armed with guns, daggers and a fake bomb. Their demands included the release of prisoners (all Sikhs arrested during Operation Blue Star), US$25 million for damage done during the Operation, and the return of items alleged to be stolen from the Golden Temple during the Operation. The demands of the hijackers were not met and they ultimately surrendered to Pakistani authorities on July 6.
The Press Trust of India quoted the hijackers as saying "Long Live Khalistan". It was related to the secessionist struggle in the Indian state of Punjab, where Khalistani separatists were active. They demanded a separate country for Sikhs. The Khalistan movement was a separatist movement in Indian Punjab and the United Kingdom where a small portion of the Sikh community openly asked for a different country for Sikhs (Khalistan) after the Golden Temple was stormed by the Indian army.