Smaranda Nicolau

Flight 2411

Translated by::

 

“On May 27, 1971, a TAROM aircraft was hijacked from Oradea Airport and redirected to Austria, where it landed at 15:07 at Vienna’s Schwechat Airport.” -  Radio Free Europe, Romania Situation Report/21, p. 6, June 1971

This was the second successful hijacking in communist Romania’s history. The aircraft, which had been scheduled to land in Bucharest, instead landed in Vienna. The six hijackers requested political asylum, while the pilot and the radio operator were sentenced in Romania to several years in prison, accused of not resisting the hijackers firmly enough.

The hijacking became a kind of symbol of the desire to break free from the oppressive political environment.
The performance recreates the tension of the event and examines its historical and social context, analyzing its impact on international observers and the media, while also offering alternative perspectives and reflections.

Cast of characters:

Premier: 2026.02.28