The World's Bravest Flight Attendant

Neerja Bhanot joined Pan Am as a flight attendant in 1985. Previously, she had worked as a model, and while welcoming the new opportunity to fly, she continued to model during her time flying. The airline had decided that it wanted to have Indian flight attendants on board flights between Frankfurt and destinations in India. Neerja was quickly promoted to the role of flight purser at the age of just 22. On the day On that fateful day of September 5th, 1986, Neerja was a senior flight purser on Flight 73, which was flying between Bombay and the USA, with stops in Karachi, Pakistan, and Frankfurt, Germany. The Boeing 747 'Clipper of the Seas' had 379 passengers and crew onboard. At 06.00, on the ground at Karachi Jinnah Airport, four terrorists dressed as security guards boarded the aircraft and made a hijack attempt. Passengers were screaming and chaos in the cabin, but Neerja kept her cool. She managed to enter the emergency code to the flight deck, which enabled the three flight crew to escape the aircraft through the hatch in the cockpit. This immobilized the aircraft during the hijack, so it could not be flown onwards to another destination. Taking charge Realizing that the situation was extremely difficult, as per her role, she took charge and kept herself and her flight attendants calm. The four terrorists were part of the Abu Nidal Organization, who wanted to take the aircraft to Cyprus to release some Palestinian prisoners who were being held there. They were targeting American passengers and had dragged one Indian American passenger to the exit, before shooting him and throwing his body off the aircraft. Hiding passports After four hours on the ground, the terrorists asked Neerja to collect all of the passports of those on board, so that they could identify passengers who were American. She and her crew members hid the American passports under seats, in baggage compartments, and in a garbage chute and flushed some down the lavatory, so that they would not be identified, saving the lives of many on board. Her small, silent acts of defiance protected 40 American passengers who otherwise would have been killed. During the hijacking, Neerja continued to smile and serve passengers with meals and drinks, and tried to console them and keep them calm. Survivors said that her calm presence kept them from breaking down. She was young and scared but refused to show it. The aircraft's APU was failing, and the terrorists were getting agitated at the stalemate. The stand-off After 17 hours, the four terrorists opened fire in the cabin and set off explosives. The flight attendants were regularly paraded and held with guns to their heads, especially when the terrorists wanted to see what was going on outside the aircraft. Eventually, Neerja managed to open an exit door and allowed some passengers to escape via the emergency slide. She told them to jump, and run away from the aircraft. She could have chosen to save herself and leave the aircraft, but decided to stay on board and do what she could to help her passengers. Some broke bones when they fell from the slide, some were shot at, but at least they survived. She then saw three children frozen in fear who couldn't get to the slide whilst trying to avoid the bullet fire. Unfortunately, the terrorists saw her helping people to escape and grabbed her by the hair, and shot her in the head at point-blank range. Neerja died before reaching the hospital. It was just two days before her 23rd birthday, and she became one of 20 fatalities of the hijacking; 359 people survived. Posthumous awards Posthumously, Neerja was awarded three awards for her courage and bravery from India, Pakistan and the USA. The Ashoka Chakra Award for gallantry was awarded to her in India, where she became the youngest person as well as the first female ever to receive it. In 2004, the Indian Postal Service produced a postage stamp in her honor. In 2016, a movie was made about her and the hijacking. In honour of her sacrifice, Neerja's family used the funds from Pan Am to set up the Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust. The trust gives out two awards: one in recognition of an Indian woman who overcame social injustice, and the other to an airline crew member who went beyond the call of duty in a crisis. One surviving passenger named her daughter after her. Surprisingly, one of the child survivors from that very flight later became an airline pilot after being inspired by Neerja's actions that day.