On 27 March 1991, a hostage situation on board the hijacked Singapore Airlines Flight 117 (SQ117) was swiftly resolved when a team of commandos from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) stormed the cabin, killed all the hijackers, and rescued the passengers within 30 seconds.
The aptly-named Operation Thunderbolt was highly praised internationally and, 35 years on, this incident remains the only hijacking of a Singapore Airlines plane.
A total of 123 hostages were safely rescued, with only three sent to the hospital — two for injuries and one for shock.
The incident began on the night of 26 March 1991 when SQ117 took off from Kuala Lumpur (KL) at 9.15pm to head back to Singapore.
Just minutes later, as the flight attendants began serving drinks, passengers heard a loud bang at the rear of the plane.
Most did not even suspect anything amiss, as the four hijackers began to take control of the aircraft.
Source: NewspaperSG
One passenger even described them as not looking “too scary”. Some even thought it was a joke at first or simply that the passengers had been drunk.
But things started getting serious when they saw how the hijackers treated the flight crew.
“This is a hijack,” one passenger recalls one of the hijackers saying in English. “Don’t give us trouble and we won’t give you trouble.”
The four were armed with knives and explosives.
Despite this, they told their hostages that they were not terrorists, but supporters of Benazir Bhutto, a former prime minister of Pakistan who was later assassinated in 2007.
At 10.15pm, SQ117 landed at Runway One in Changi Airport.
Authorities closed down the runway, and five minutes later, established a perimeter around the area.
At the same time, a team was assembled to begin resolving the crisis.
The negotiation team was assisted by a psychologist and a police officer who spoke Urdu, as only one hijacker spoke English.
The hijackers claimed to be members of the Pakistan People’s Party.
They demanded the release of several individuals that were, at the time, detained in Pakistan. This included Asif Ali Zardari, who is currently the President of Pakistan.
By 2.40am, as the plane was being moved away from Runway One, authorities discovered that two flight attendants had been thrown out of the plane.
The pair, Bernard Tan and Philip Chong, had been tossed out because the hijackers felt like they were not responding to orders fast enough.
Both were conveyed to Singapore General Hospital, which had been prepared in advance about the incident.
Source: NewspaperSG
Additional reports indicate that this was not the only incident where the hijackers had gotten physical with their hostages.
“I saw the hijackers pulling aside an American passenger to punch and kick him,” one of the hostages said.
He tried to help the American, but another hijacker put a knife to his throat in response.
As morning approached, the hijackers became more frustrated as their demands continued to be unmet.
Things escalated as the hijackers threatened to kill the American, who would not die without a fight.
“He actually struggled with the hijackers,” another hostage recalled.
At 5am, the hijackers demanded the plane be refueled so they could fly to Australia. Authorities in Australia were promptly notified.
By this time, lights around the airport police station were turned off and reporters were asked to leave.
At 6.45am, the hijackers gave authorities five minutes to meet their demands otherwise they would begin to hurt the hostages.
One hostage said the hijackers had threatened to kill one of them every ten minutes.
Just a few minutes later, the order was given to storm the plane. The team of SAF commandos, hooded and with their hands and face blackened, had been lying in wait for such an order to arrive.
Source: NewspaperSG
The team had approached the plane under the cover of night and from the rear of the plane, to minimise the risk of being spotted.
At 6.50am, the team commenced their Operation Thunderbolt.
Having practiced on a similar Airbus plane prior to their operation, the commandos began moving like clockwork. The first team, comprising of 20 individuals, propped ladders against the plane’s exterior.
They stormed in from both the front and the rear of the aircraft.
“Get down! We are Singaporeans! We are here to rescue you!” shouted the lead commando.
Three of hijackers were swiftly gunned down by precise shots from the commandos. The fourth tried to grab a nearby woman as a shield, but was deterred by another hostage who grabbed her away.
This allowed a commando to rapidly close in and fire at close range, instantly killing the last hijacker.
The entire operation unfolded in about 30 seconds, leaving many hostages confused as to what just happened. “Like a scene from the movies,” one passenger said.
Source: Heritage SG Memories on Facebook
In less than five minutes, the passengers began exiting the plane to safety.
It was revealed in 1997 that the commandos involved in the rescue belonged to the a secret hostage-rescue and counter-terrorism unit called the Special Operations Force.
The unit had been duly honoured with the Medal of Valour, while the Police Negotiation Team received the President’s Certificate of Commendation.
The pilot of SQ 117, Stanley Lim, also received the Public Service Star, along with the leader of the Police Negotiation Team, Foo Kia Juah.
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Featured image adapted from Heritage SG Memories on Facebook.