Skyline BOAC Super VC-10 G-ASGN "Dawson's Field 1970 Hijack" Scale 1/200

Dawson's Field hijackings BOAC G-ASGN – A Brief History

G-ASGN was a Vickers VC10, one of the most iconic British jetliners of the 1960s, built to serve BOAC’s long-haul network across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Known for its sleek design and ability to perform well at “hot and high” airports where other jets struggled, the VC10 became a passenger favourite for its quiet cabin and smooth performance. In her career with BOAC, G-ASGN wore the distinctive dark blue and gold speedbird livery, flying from London Heathrow to major international destinations.

On 9 September 1970, while operating a service from Bahrain to Beirut, G-ASGN was hijacked by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The aircraft was diverted to Dawson’s Field, a remote desert airstrip near Zarqa, Jordan, where it was held alongside other hijacked aircraft, including a TWA Boeing 707 and a Swissair DC-8. After passengers and crew were released, the aircraft was destroyed on 12 September 1970 when the hijackers blew it up — marking one of the most dramatic episodes of the 1970 “Dawson’s Field hijackings.”

This event not only ended the career of G-ASGN but also highlighted a turbulent era in aviation history, when airline hijackings were at their peak and security measures were only beginning to tighten worldwide.