During the 1990s , there was relative peace in the United States airspace as the threat of domestic hijacking was seen as a distant memory . Globally , however , hijackings still persisted . Between 1993 and 2003 , the highest number of hijackings occurred in 1993 ( see table below ) . This number can be attributed to events in China where hijackers were trying to gain political asylum in Taiwan . Europe and the rest of East Asia were not immune either . On December 26 1994 , Air France Flight 8969 with 172 passengers and crew was hijacked after leaving Algiers . Authorities believed that the goal was to crash the plane into the Eiffel Tower . On June 21 1995 , All Nippon Airways Flight 857 was hijacked by a man claiming to be a member of the Aum Shinrikyo religious cult , demanding the release of its imprisoned leader Shoko Asahara . The incident was resolved when the police stormed the plane
Air France Flight 8969
Air France Flight 8969
Aircraft hijacking