20 Things You Didn’t Know About Midnight Express

20. Dawson’s Field Hijacking

At the start of Midnight Express, we see American traveller Billy Hayes psyching himself up in an airport bathroom before he attempts to smuggle a shedload of hashish on board. Hayes’ attempt at making a quick buck through his friends back in the States is suddenly thwarted when a security guard pats Billy down before boarding. Immediately, the young American has a militia pointing their guns at him.

This may seem like simple Hollywood exaggeration. However, during September 1970, four aeroplanes had been successfully hijacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine members. On flights departing from Brussels, Zurich, Bahrain, and Amsterdam, PFLP members had managed to take over the control of the planes with the help of handguns, grenades and other explosive devices. Airports around Eurasia were on red alert, and security was extra tight.

Hayes’ decision to strap the hashish to his body made it appear more like a suicide vest, and that explains the initial overreaction from airport security.