A comprehensive account of hijacking in the air, its causes and consequences. Between 1930 and the end of 1972, there were 396 hijack attempts, of which 246 were successful. The US airlines have been worst hit and, across the Atlantic, Cuba has been the most popular destination, attracting 149 of the hijacked flights during the period. But the Israeli-Arab conflict has provoked some of the most terrifying episodes, and many other flights have ended in Middle Eastern countries. Hijackings reached epidemic proportions in 1969, when there were a total of 88 attempts, 70 of them successful.

Mr. Arey finds that planes are hijacked for five (often overlapping) reasons: political, criminal escape, vendetta, personal despair and psychotic. He gives graphic examples, describing the episode and the personality of the hijacker. The book opens with a unique document concerning a Pan Am 747 which was hijacked after it left Amsterdam, diverted to Beirut, and finally blown up at Cairo. The document includes a tape made by a ham radio operator who secretly recorded the conversation between the plane and Beirut Airport, involving the captain, the hijackers airport officials, and leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The Sky Pirates discusses the steps that have been taken worldwide to combat aerial hijacking. Based on official documents, interviews and newspaper accounts, the book gives a vivid and detailed picture of the international problem. hardcover

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