1977 Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134 hijacking

1977 Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134 hijacking

A Tu-134 similar to the incident aircraft
Incident
Date	10 July 1977 (1977-07-10)
Summary	Hijacking
Site	Helsinki, Finland
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Tupolev Tu-134
Operator	Aeroflot
Registration	CCCP-65639
Flight origin	Petrozavodsk Airport
Stopover	Helsinki Airport
Destination	Pulkovo Airport
Fatalities	0
Survivors	75

On 10 July 1977, two Soviet hijackers took over an Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134 flight in the hope of diverting it to Stockholm, Sweden. Lacking the fuel to do this, the aircraft landed at Helsinki Airport, Finland, where the hijackers kept hostages to demand that the Finnish authorities refuel the aircraft and provide it with a new crew. However, the hostages escaped after the hijackers fell asleep. Without bargaining power, the hijackers surrendered and were extradited back to the Soviet Union, where they were sentenced to lengthy prison terms.