Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Associated Press and NPR Staff, NPR
Paris

French pilot in 1976 Uganda hijacking dies at 95

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

A French pilot who is remembered as a hero for his actions in the 1976 hijacking of an Air France plane to Uganda's Entebbe airport died Tuesday at the age of 95.

Nice mayor Christian Estrosi said in a statement that Michel Bacos died in the southern French city.

Bacos was awarded the Legion of Honor, France's highest decoration, for refusing to leave the plane's passengers after the plane was hijacked and grounded.

"By refusing with bravery to quit in the face of anti-Semitism and barbary, he honored France," Estrosi said.

The Tel Aviv-Paris flight was hijacked on June 27, 1976 by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and a German radical group. The hijackers released 148 non-Israeli passengers after the plane landed in Uganda. Bacos remained with the hostages despite offers of release.

The seven pro-Palestinian hijackers held some 110 Jewish and Israeli hostages in the airport terminal for nearly a week before Israeli commandos led by Yonatan Netanyahu, the older brother of Israel's current prime minister, freed them.

The commandos flew more than 2,000 miles from Israel to Uganda to attempt the daring operation. Yonatan Netanyahu was the sole Israeli military casualty in the raid on Entebbe. Three Israeli hostages were killed along with all seven of the hijackers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Bacos as the "hero captain" of the hijacked Air France flight on Twitter: "I bow my head in his memory and salute Michel's heroism."

Benny Davidson, one of the former Israeli hostages, remembered Bacos as "a dear man and a great hero."

Davidson, who was 13 at the time of the hijacking, wrote on Facebook that Bacos "taught us a lesson in leadership, responsibility and exemplarity."

Associated Press