Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541360
THE events leading to the tragic end of the 1985 EgyptAir hijacking in Malta must never be forgotten. On a November night in 1985, Mal- ta unexpectedly became the unwill- ing host of a hijacked aircraft. Yet this historic fact is scarcely known to those born from the 1980's onwards, unless passed down through the recollections of their parents. The older generation often describe it as a horrific event in which Egyptian commandos failed to save most of the passengers and instead triggered a ca- tastrophe that ended in a fireball from hell. Some also remember it as the hi- jack where terrorists behaved erratical- ly, executing passengers as soon as they landed—a nightmare Malta neither in- vited, needed, nor wanted. That recollection is not wrong. Yet I have observed that today, 40 years later, this remains for many the only version most people know, while the shortcom- ings of the local authorities have managed to escape most recol- lections. Those inquisitive ones must ask ques- tions such as: How prepared was Malta at the time to manage such a grave cri- sis? Was the military adequately trained and equipped? What foreign assistance was accepted? What negoti- ation strategies, if any, were in place for a hostage situation of this scale? How much did Malta's political leanings against the West influence decisions made during the hijack? Let us remember it is easy to be an armchair critic after such a difficult cri- sis where erratic terrorists threaten to blow up a plane-load full of innocent people. Yet it should neither be easy to forget the 57 innocent lives lost on Maltese soil and it is worth investigat- ing whether their lives could have been saved. Some uncomfortable facts related to the performance of Malta 40 years ago have found themselves buried. Among them, that a Western nation had of- fered specialised equipment to help Maltese forces gather intelligence from inside the aircraft—an offer refused un- til it was too late, purely because of the nationality of those extending the help. Equally troubling is the fact that sev- eral foreign military officers who were part of and indeed leading, the rescue operation were placed under house ar- rest, prevented from coordinating the assault that could have reduced the death toll of 57 victims who perished, burned to their seats like the victims of Pompeii. These are lives lost because of a se- quence of decisions, by both Maltese and foreign actors that failed to meet the challenge before them. It is understandable that some key players wish to bury this tragedy for- ever. I have spoken to a few who made this very clear. And then there are those former politicians who prefer to control the narrative. For instance, 29 years ago, one former politician took part in a televised dis- cussion on Xandir Malta about the hi- jack. After hearing on the programme a survivor, Tony Lyons, express his dissatisfaction with how the crisis was handled by the Maltese authorities, this politician publicly derided Lyons and attempted to discredit this survivor simply by claiming that Lyons had once tried to sue the government for mental damages. But even if this was true, it would have been well within the survivor's rights to open a court case. And as a victim, he had every right to voice his opinion about how the tragedy was handled. Attempts to control the narrative, to paint a picture of a nation that made no mistakes, only guarantees that those mistakes will one day be repeated. No lessons can be learned if we bury some truth and cling only to selective mem- ory. In 2009, I had the privilege of inter- viewing on camera Malta's former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonn- ici, who had led the country during the hijack and who personally oversaw the crisis from the airport. Before meeting him, I expected reluc- tance—that he might wish to avoid the subject altogether. To my surprise, he opened up readily and spoke candidly for over an hour. At the age of 76, he seemed to have accepted that the hijack would forever define his legacy, wheth- er he liked it or not. Beneath his composure, I sensed a man still burdened by the weight of that tragedy—a leader who believed he had acted rightly for his country, yet who knew, deep down, that some part of the outcome would always rest on his shoulders. I have no doubt he car- ried the memory of those 57 innocent souls who died on Maltese soil, and I suspect he kept car- rying this memory until his final days in 2022, when he passed away at the age of 89. It is difficult not to forgive someone who genuinely believed he was doing the right thing for his country. After all, Mifsud Bonnici was probably one of the few incorruptible political leaders Mal- ta ever had. But the hijack story must never fade, nor the mistakes buried. The EgyptAir hijack of 1985 stands not only as the deadliest rescue attempt in aviation history, but also as a power- ful example of how ideology, however well-intentioned, can compromise the fundamental goal to protect human life. Malcolm Scerri Ferrante is a film pro- ducer and the author of the new book Sovereign, a work of historical fiction based on the 1985 EgyptAir hijacking in Malta, using official tape recordings be- tween the control tower and the hijack- ers. The book is available on Amazon and at Agenda bookstores. Let us remember it is easy to be an armchair critic after such a difficult crisis where erratic terrorists threaten to blow up a plane-load full of innocent people. Yet it should neither be easy to forget the 57 innocent lives lost on Maltese soil and it is worth investigating whether their lives could have been saved 3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 NOVEMBER 2025 OPINION Malcolm Scerri Ferrante The fuller story behind the 1985 hijack in Malta Author of Sovereign The EgyptAir plane that was hijacked in 1985