Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 347 was a scheduled domestic flight which, on 3 November 1994, was hijacked shortly after take-off. The flight, from Bardufoss Airport via Bodø Airport to Oslo Airport, Fornebu in Norway, was operated by a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 belonging to Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). The hijacker was Haris Keč, a Bosnian living in Norway, who made demands that Norwegian authorities help to stop the humanitarian suffering in his home country caused by the Bosnian War. No one was injured in the incident.
Keč hijacked the aircraft with 122 passengers and a crew of six in mid-air after leaving Bardufoss. The aircraft landed as scheduled at Bodø, where all women, children and seniors were let off, along with two of the cabin crew. The aircraft then departed Bodø with 77 passengers and a crew of four. It was diverted to Gardermoen, where Keč made his demands. He surrendered at about 21:00, seven hours after take-off from Bardufoss, after some of his demands had been met. He was sentenced to four years prison for the incident.
Hijacking
SAS Flight 347 was a scheduled, domestic flight from Bardufoss Airport via Bodø Airport to Oslo Airport, Fornebu. Check-in and boarding ran as normal, without any security check. At Bardufoss, 122 people boarded the aircraft, including a large group of soldiers who were on leave of absence and on their way home to Southern Norway. Representatives from the ground handlers stated that none of the passengers acted suspiciously.
During the first leg of the flight, at about 15:00, Keč, wearing a winter coat, got up from his seat and walked to the front of the aircraft. A flight attendant stopped him. After talking for a short while, and another flight attendant came by, he was let into the cockpit. No information about the hijacking was given to the passengers until arrival at Bodø. Bodø Airport was evacuated and the aircraft parked at Bodø Main Air Station, the military section. After landing, by order of the hijacker, the passengers were informed that all women, children under 18 and people over 60 were to leave the aircraft. After this had happened, there were 77 passengers and four crew members left. The aircraft departed Bodø at about 16:00 and headed for Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, which was closed for all other traffic.
After the aircraft had landed at Gardermoen at 17:20, contact was established between Keč and the police negotiator Morten, who also had been the prime negotiator during Aeroflot Flight 137, a hijacking that also had taken place at the airport. Keč predominantly spoke English and insisted that he simply be referred to as "the Bosnian". He immediately informed that he had not hurt any of the crew or passengers, and that he was not affiliated with anyone. His immediate demands were that official representatives were to tell the world what needed to be done to solve the conflict in Bosnia. He then gave a presentation of the situation and that his only intentions were to help his countrymen. For several minutes, the conversion was about the lack of help Keč felt was being given to his home country.
Eventually Morten requested that a helicopter with medical supplies be moved next to the aircraft, for which Keč granted permission. Contact between the pair was lost and Morten had to call Keč six times before getting a response. After 15 minutes, Keč again resumed communication. He demanded that he talk to someone from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and said he wanted media coverage of the incident. "I do not need publicity myself," he said. "I only need to arrange a press conference for the whole world community and the media, and that someone from the Norwegian government promises me and the world community that they will ensure that the United Nations (UN) in New York attempts to open all corridors in Bosnia to feed people in Bosnia so they can survive the winter." Keč indicated that if this did not lead to anything, he would go to the UN himself and that his friends would support him. He gave the authorities one hour to meet his demands before he would fly to another destination.