Career
The hijacking, by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was part of an international campaign of Palestinian political violence. He also was awarded a medal by the Israeli government, for refusing to leave his Jewish passengers behind when the terrorists released their non-Jewish hostages, and offered to release Bacos and his crew. His Airbus A300 plane originated in Tel Aviv and was on its way from Athens to Paris, with Bacos at the controls.
Minutes into the flight, Bacos heard screams and quickly realized that the plane was hijacked.
Bacos was forced to re-route the plane, at gunpoint. He recalled later: "The terrorist had his gun pointed continuously at my head and occasionally he would poke my neck not to look at him.
We could only obey the orders of the terrorists". Bacos was forced to turn the plane south to Benghazi, Libya, for refueling, and then he was forced to fly it in a south-eastern direction.
He ultimately landed the jet at Entebbe in Uganda, with only 20 more minutes of fuel left.
The terrorists freed the 148 non-Jewish passengers, and offered to release Bacos and his crew. They felt duty-bound to remain on the plane, and refused to leave. They stayed behind with the Jewish hostages.
The captives were freed in an Israeli commando raid known as Operation Entebbe, and Bacos was dazed in the attack.
