The explosions were to be timed by the operatives before they disembarked from the plane . The aircraft would have exploded over the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea almost simultaneously . If this plan worked , several thousand passengers would have perished , and air travel would likely have been shut down worldwide . The U.S. government estimated the prospective death toll to be about 4,000 if the plot had been executed . ( For comparison , about 3,000 were killed during the September 11 attacks in the United States . ) If Phase II of the plot had been successful , it would have been , in terms of casualties , the most devastating terrorist attack in recent history
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Bojinka plot