Netflix Series Hijack of Flight 601 is about the hijack of a plane by a couple of people who want the release of some prisoners in return for the safety of the passengers on this plane. The story also deals with interpersonal character arcs amidst the stress of the hijack as we look at characters who are stuck in this situation. In the trailer, they claim that the series is inspired from a True Story. So what is the true story that inspired this series? Let’s find out
The Hijacking of Flight 601 True Story
The series Hijacking of Flight 601 is based on the events that took place on 30th May 1973 when the SAM Columbia flight HK-1274 took off from Pereira, an en-route stop for the flight going from Cali to Bogota. Twenty minutes after the flight took off, two men who were armed took people on board hostage with their demand being $200,000.
The hijackers as shown in the series were two former football players from Paraguay. The negotiation in this hijack lasted for over 60 hours making this among the lengthiest hijack ever. The distance too was one of the longest as the plane flew across multiple destinations where the passengers were released at different times and at various destinations.
After take-off, the plane was diverted to Medellin from where it went to Aruba. On 31st May, the first set of passengers were released during negotiations. The flight then took off for Lima but had to be reverted to Aruba due to some technical issues. Once the flight came back to Aruba, the hijackers received $50,000 from SAM.
The plane after multiple stoppages for refueling, landed at Lima the next morning where 14 more passengers were released. Then, after making multiple stops in Paraguay, the hijacking ended at Mendoza in Argentina when the rest of the passengers had escaped. However, the hijackers had already escaped by that time.
Check out this New York Times report from 1st June 1973. As can be seen from the report, the hijackers kept lowering their demands in the entire hijack episode. They initially demanded $200,000 and the release of 140 political prisoners but then by the end of the negotiation, they escaped with $50,000. There are also reports of the hijackers being violent towards the staff.
While the series is based on a true story, some elements are usually added for dramatic representation. The idea behind the representation is to connect you to the characters in a short period. Like the life of the central character, her family and her children connect us to her while we are watching this series.
So yes the series is based on a real-life event, but there is an element of fiction to it as well.
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