Afriqiyah Airways Flight 209

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 an Airbus A320 owned by Afriqiyah Airways, Libya's state airline, and carried 111 passengers: 82 males, 28 females and one infant. The two hijackers later released all of the hostages and surrendered to the authorities.

Hijacking

The aircraft, carrying seven crew and 111 passengers, had taken off from Sabha International Airport at 08:10 local time and was due to land at Tripoli at 09:20. The two hijackers threatened to blow up the aircraft with hand grenades, according to Malta state television. 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. The pilots had tried to land in Libya, but the hijackers refused their request. The aircraft was forced to land at Malta International Airport at 11:32 am local time. The aircraft's engines were still running after it was surrounded by the Maltese military. One hijacker was reported to have appeared at the aircraft door waving a large green flag similar to the Libyan flag under Gaddafi. He then put the flag down and returned inside.