KLM Hi-Jack

No photographs taken today but this one came my way because one of the websites I created is about RAF Luqa, Malta. ( https://raf-luqa.weebly.com ).

It came with the news that Air Vice Marshal Michael Armitage, Group Captain when I knew him as the Commanding Officer RAF Luqa, had passed away on Christmas Day 2022, aged 92.
I did know him, met him during my service in Malta, he was an 'Old School' officer and a gentleman, a very nice person who would give you the time of day, no matter what your rank was.
With this sad news came the photograph. 
In November 1973, The weather was cold with quite a bit of rain, which I remember because I found that standing under the wing of a Canberra aircraft gave no shelter at all! There were viable threats from El-Fatah against the RAF airfields and the Royal Navy base so we had to do armed guards, as well as our 'Day Job'.
The runway, at Luqa, was not long enough to take the new, large, 747 Jumbo Jets but the KLM pilot managed it somehow after being hi-jacked. There then followed 3 days of negotiations with Dom Mintoff, the prime minister of Malta at the time, and the Station Commander, Gp Capt Armitage, both in the photograph. Mr Mintoff is on a two way radio speaking to the hi-jackers, Gp Capt Armitage organising security and other areas of the RAF involvement including aircraft movements, with the air traffic control.
The aircraft departed Malta on the 27 November with the crew, the KLM senior vice president as hostage, and half a payload of fuel. Any more would risk them not being able to take off at all.
We watched as the 747 lumbered to the very end of the runway, gunned up the engines to maximum before releasing the brakes. It took to the air but clipped the perimeter fence in doing so. The pilot showed amazing skill in landing in the first place, and then managing to take off again on such a short runway. The flight ended in Dubai where the hijackers gave themselves up to the authorities.
The runway has since been extended, of course.
And El-Fatah? we did not have any raids on the airfields but the naval base did receive a number, don't know how many, 'parcel bombs'. No-one was injured. However, it was taken very seriously, it's the only time I handled a fully armed rifle other than on the range.