Story of SIA Flight SQ117 hijack resurfaces, LinkedIn post spotlights commando-turned-monk

A Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) commando who helped end a plane hijacking in just 30 seconds later took a radically different path in life by becoming a Buddhist monk.

A LinkedIn post shared on Monday (16 March) has reignited interest in one of Singapore’s most dramatic aviation incidents: the 1991 hijacking of Singapore Airlines Flight SQ117.

It recounts the tense ordeal and the swift operation that brought it to an end in under a minute.

From elite commando to life-or-death mission

On 26 March 1991, Singapore Airlines Flight SQ117 was hijacked en route from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore.