Tirana Hijack: Passenger Perspective
part of my talent showcase from the
pageant; I’d chosen card tricks as an
icon for my country because of
Singapore’s forthcoming Integrated
Resort (casino).
7.00pm
PA: This is your captain speaking.
Is there a doctor on board? Please
identify yourself to the crew.
Thank you.
I looked over to the man who said he
had a health problem. Was he feeling
all right? At this point, many
passengers were standing by their
seats chatting amongst themselves.
The flight attendants remained seated
whilst also trying to tell the passengers
to sit down.
7.30pm
Amazingly, time passes really fast in a
small, constrained space and when
playing cards. We were now very
puzzled as to why people were still
not allowed to move from their seats.
Mia Tan photographed in Brindisi with members of the Italian police
The stewardess keeps telling
everyone to sit down and keep quiet. I
had wanted to go to the toilet but the
That’s when our hearts sank. Not
6.30pm
stewardess said it was locked.
another delay! We just wanted to get Looking out of the windows, we saw
home! A thought then occurred: here I stood up to go to the washroom. those flickering lights belonged to
we were headed for Istanbul, Turkey, Immediately I was stopped by a police cars. Lots of police cars. And
yet we were stopping in Italy, which is stewardess.“Please Ma’am, PLEASE fire engines. And ambulances. What
in the opposite direction, for technical SIT DOWN. The aircraft has not come in the world was happening! The
repairs? Didn’t quite make to a complete stop. PLEASE SIT “technical fault” was going to cause
sense…unless they were seeking the DOWN!” By now, people were an explosion?!
Formula 1 Ferrari team to fix the plane! fidgeting and wondering why we
weren’t allowed to move around in the 8.00pm
5.20pm-6.00pm aircraft. One guy across the aisle
even claimed he had a health By now, the plane was buzzing with
En route to Italy for a “technical” problem and needed to see a doctor. chatter. The passengers were all restless
problem had me at the edge of my There was an Albanian man who and the crew has stopped giving
seat. Every rattle made me worry if the recognised me as Miss Singapore; he commands. Instead, they had started
engine was going to fall apart! When said hello and tried to make small handing out sandwiches and drinks to
we landed, it was one of the scariest I’d talk while waiting. passengers who requested for food. The
ever had. I looked around for some service aircon has been off for a while; it was
staff and saw a guy dressed in dark stuffy and hard to breathe.
6.10pm blue pants and shirt with a dark blue
cap, walking in and out of the cockpit. 8.15pm
We remained on the runway. This was odd He seemed to be speaking with the
because I’d thought we’d have taxied to captain and the crew. I thought he was The aircon came back on thankfully.
the hangar for repairs. I could see a “technician”. After all, he was Kanksha Mehta, Miss India, who was
buzzing, flickering lights outside, which I dressed in all dark blue which did look also on board but not travelling with us,
assumed were the “service” trucks that like a uniform! asked for some food. The stewardess
had arrived to “repair” the technical Figuring it wouldn’t take too long to whispered “no” to her and said it was
problem. The pilot made an fix the plane and trying to take our DANGEROUS. Now a sense of urgency
announcement asking if there were any minds off things, I took out a deck of crept in and Angie started to weep. We
Italian citizens on board. cards I’d brought along with me. It was tried out best to console her.
14 April 2007 Aviationsecurityinternational
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