Paris in Flames

MrHola

Banned
Did you know there was actually an attempt by an Algerian Islamic group to crash a highjacked plane in the Eiffel Tower? This was in 1994. In OTL, the plane was rerouted to Marseilles (the pilot told the highjackers he was low on fuel), where the highjackers held the passengers hostage and demanded a refueling and the right to take off again (to crash on the tower, as was found out later). Instead, the GIGN stormed the plane. End of OTL story. I think your PoD is right there. What if, instead of being rerouted, the plane is allowed to continue to Paris?
 
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Did you know there was actually an attempt by an Algerian Islamic group to crash a highjacked plane in the Eiffel Tower? This was in 1994. In OTL, the plane was rerouted to Marseilles (the pilot told the highjackers he was low on fuel), where the highjackers held the passengers hostage and demanded a refueling and the right to take off again (to crash on the tower, as was found out later). Instead, the GIGN stormed the plane. End of OTL story. I think your PoD is right there. What if, instead of being rerouted, the plane is allowed to continue to Paris?

A few hundred dead, several days of big media coverage, severe antiterrorism laws all over Europe and a very disappointed terrorist mastermind somewhere. The Eiffel Tower is a lousy target, it is hard to destroy and stands all but alone, so you're effectively confining your impact to the handful of tourists and workers who are going to be up or around there. It might not even come down.
 
A few hundred dead, several days of big media coverage, severe antiterrorism laws all over Europe and a very disappointed terrorist mastermind somewhere. The Eiffel Tower is a lousy target, it is hard to destroy and stands all but alone, so you're effectively confining your impact to the handful of tourists and workers who are going to be up or around there. It might not even come down.

I agree-if you crashed into the middle or top, the plane would just go through and take that section out and crash somewhere else. A plane would have to smash into a leg.

Still, decent POD if you can get a TL from it.
 
Did you know there was actually an attempt by an Algerian Islamic group to crash a highjacked plane in the Eiffel Tower? This was in 1994. In OTL, the plane was rerouted to Marseilles (the pilot told the highjackers he was low on fuel), where the highjackers held the passengers hostage and demanded a refueling and the right to take off again (to crash on the tower, as was found out later). Instead, the GIGN stormed the plane. End of OTL story. I think your PoD is right there. What if, instead of being rerouted, the plane is allowed to continue to Paris?

I can't see the French allowing it to proceed towards Paris once they know it's been hijacked, even in the days before suicidal hijackers took over from the 1970s variety of hijacker.

The authorities would wonder why they wanted to carry on to Paris, when they can hold hostages and make demands just as easily aboard a plane landed at a provincial airport or military airbase.

That said, pre 9/11 which politician would want to stand by a decision to shoot down a hijacked airliner that didn't obey instructions to divert course? If it was shot down, no one would no the intent. If they didn't shoot it down and it crashed into Paris, the public would want to know why nothing was done. Depends on the balls of the person making the decision.
 
That said, pre 9/11 which politician would want to stand by a decision to shoot down a hijacked airliner that didn't obey instructions to divert course? If it was shot down, no one would no the intent. If they didn't shoot it down and it crashed into Paris, the public would want to know why nothing was done. Depends on the balls of the person making the decision.

Israeli and Soviet politicians would come high on that list ;)
 
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