The hijack that went South

FINNAIR 405 HAS BEEN HIJACKED! The hijacking that stopped all of Finland. A tragicomic account of Finland's only plane hijacking, where just about everything went wrong. Kari Hietalahti is Aarno Lamminparras. "Helsinki radar, Finnair four-zero-five, we've been hijacked..."

Synopsis

A fictional drama film, based on the book "The Story of Finland's First Plane Hijacking" by Lauri Puintila, which credibly follows incredible real-life events. (WSOY 2010)

He is dressed in a tight leather jacket, thick glasses and typical 70s trousers. He has combed his hair like an extremely meticulous man should. He has packed his suitcase. He has called his wife from the airport. Everything is ready. Next, he's going to hijack the plane.

Aarno Lamminparras, a businessman from Oulu who has failed in his business ventures, is facing a difficult time: his reputation has been tarnished by business failures and he is very bitter towards society as a whole. His wife is fed up with her husband's roller-coaster like emotional life and his recent hopeless paralysis: he has lost interest in everything. However, half-forced by his wife, Aarno leaves on a job search trip to Helsinki with the intention of starting a new life.

"You should do something sometimes!"
Leaving on Good Friday 1978 is a sticky one too. Aarno calls his wife just again and again to tell her he still hasn't got on the airport bus – and when he finally does, the airport bus breaks down mid-journey. There are other signs of misfortune in the air: the year's most popular singer Minea Raspi strains the nerves of the passengers with her whining, and the airport is bothered by new technology. The sweating Lamminparras' last phone call from the airport ends with his wife's words: "Do something!"

Hijacking stops the whole country
When flight AY405 from Oulu to Helsinki takes to the skies, the crew of five and their passengers have no idea what kind of Good Friday they are in for. Finland's first hijacking will shut down the entire country, including the state leaders, for more than 24 hours, and there is no guarantee that the hijacking will end happily.

Flying around Finland and abroad, Lamminparras not only puts a crew to the test, but also imposes huge ransom demands that are hard to meet in late 1970s Finland. Information is passed via landlines and there is not a single instruction in airport officials' manuals on what to do when a plane is hijacked.

Adding to the chaos of Good Friday are the media, the civil service and the transport minister and her aides, who are hungry for publicity – not to mention the wife, who is shocked to discover that her husband is a plane hijacker.

Time to pay
With the whole country in his grip, Lamminparras gets his first taste of power, undivided attention and limitless possibilities – and the price he is prepared to pay.

The reality behind the film - a military passport and a gun in the cockpit
In reality, the events of the hijacking were also tragic. Perhaps it was the helplessness of the authorities and politicians that brought events to a happy end. The kidnapper, Aarno Lamminparras (b. 1941, Kemijärvi), was a 36-year-old former contractor whose export company had just gone bankrupt. The plane was carrying five crew members and 43 other passengers, including composer Aarno Raninen, returning from a performance in Lapland, and singer Monica Aspelund.

Lamminparras, who had been drinking during the flight, presented his military passport and asked flight attendant Merja Ervasti for permission to enter the cockpit, and Captain Tauno Rajakangas agreed. As the plane approached Helsinki-Vantaa airport, Lamminparras forced control of the plane with a gun in his hand and locked the cockpit door.

The Oulu plane hijacking
Date: 30 September – 1 October 1978
Place of departure: Oulu airport
Destination: Helsinki-Vantaa airport
Aircraft model: Sud SE-210 Caravelle 10B3
Airline: Finnair
Aircraft registration: OH-LSB
Passengers: 43
Crew: 5

Read about the hijacking from start to finish and its consequences!

ROLES INCLUDE:
Aarno Lamminparras – KARI HIETALAHTI
Flight Captain Rajapaltio – AAKE KALLIALA
Flight Sergeant Snock – JUSSI VATANEN
Lawyer Marttinen – HANNU-PEKKA BJÖRKMAN
Flight Attendant Ylppö – ELINA KEINONEN
Flight Attendant Kananen – MERJA LARIVAARA
Flight Attendant Omenainen – MAIJA JUNNO
Air Traffic Controller Molander – VILLE MYLLYRINNE
Air Traffic Controller Karppi – TOMMI LISKI
Inspector Merivaara – PEKKA VALKEEJÄRVI
Minea Raspi – PIRJO LONKA
Minea's manager Huopanen – JUHO MILONOFF
Minister of Transport – MIITTA SORVALI
Assistant to the Minister for Transport – ARMI TOIVANEN
Wife of Lamminparras – PIRJO MÄÄTTÄ
Air Traffic Controller in Oulu – PEKKA HUOTARI
Sergeant Major Lönnroth – TONI WAHLSTRÖM
Ranin – SANTTU KARVONEN
Old Mrs. Skrof – EVA-LIISA HAIMELIN
Teenage girl – SUSANNA LEHTINEN
Girl in love – KERLI KYLLÖNEN
Boy in love – PAAVO KINNUNEN
Swedish woman – RITA POLSTER
Swedish man – GÖRAN SCHAUMAN
Bus driver – MIKA NUOJUA
Security inspectors – RISTO KOPPERI, VINTTE VIITANEN
Bowlers – MATTI ONNISMAA, MIKKO KAUKOLAMPI, ARTO KUPARINEN
TV reporter – KONSTA MÄKELÄ
Kekkonen – TERO JARTTI
Kekkonen's aides – JUKKA PELTOLA, SAMI LOPONEN
Kalevi Sorsa – PASI TOIVANEN
Paavo Väyrynen – JARKKO TAMMINEN
Väyrynen's assistant – HEINI KALLIO
Russian interpreter – LIUBOV MULLARI
Russian officials – PASI NISKANEN, PASI TAPANAINEN
Wife's colleague – MARIT MATTILA
Co-worker's son – EELI HÄMÄLÄINEN
English-speaking journalist – JONNI AHO
Swedish-speaking journalist – PETTERI AHOMAA
Taxi driver – MIKKO ERÄ-ESKO
SOS Children's Village representative – HEIKKI VILJA
Veterans' representative – JARI SAARMAN
Representative of Helsingin Sanomat – RAMPE TOIVONEN
Airport bar vendor – ASTA AALTO
Ticket inspector – SIRKKA RAUTIAINEN
Airport clerk – SUVI MUSTONEN