The hijacking of Aerolineas Argentinas Flight 706 by Montoneros facilitated the escape of guerrillas after their deadliest failed offensive.
Key Facts
- Date
- October 5, 1975
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-287C operated by Aerolineas Argentinas
- Guerrillas escaping
- Approximately 30
- Perpetrator group
- Montoneros (Peronist guerrilla group)
- Related operation
- Operation Primicia – attack on 29th Forest Infantry Regiment
- Route
- Buenos Aires to Formosa via Corrientes
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
On October 5, 1975, the Montoneros guerrilla group launched Operation Primicia, an assault on the 29th Forest Infantry Regiment in Argentina. The operation failed and proved to be the deadliest offensive ever undertaken by Montoneros, leaving approximately 30 surviving guerrillas in need of an escape route from Argentine security forces.
Montoneros hijacked Aerolineas Argentinas Flight 706, a domestic Boeing 737-287C flying from Buenos Aires to Formosa with a layover in Corrientes. The hijacking was executed as a coordinated escape plan to allow the roughly 30 surviving guerrillas who participated in the failed regimental assault to flee the country or evade capture.
The hijacking enabled the Montoneros participants of Operation Primicia to escape following the failed and costly attack on the 29th Forest Infantry Regiment. The incident underscored the operational capacity of the Montoneros to conduct complex follow-up actions even after a major military defeat, occurring during the tenure of Argentina's constitutional government.