---
category: Private Organization
location: Paris, France
start: 1933
summary: Air France is the French national carrier whose Tel Aviv-to-Paris flight
  was hijacked by Baader-Meinhof Group members in June 1976 and diverted to Entebbe,
  Uganda, prompting the Israeli Operation Thunderbolt rescue.
tags:
- Organization
- Private
- Airline
- France
---

[Air France](/organizations/air-france/) is a French airline. It was involved in the 1976 [Entebbe hijacking](/events/entebbe-hijacking/), where an [Air France](/organizations/air-france/) jet flying from [Tel Aviv](/places/tel-aviv/) to [Paris](/places/paris/) was diverted to [Entebbe Airport](/places/entebbe-airport/) in [Uganda](/places/uganda/) by members of the [Baader-Meinhof Group](/organizations/baader-meinhof-group/). The hijacking led to a commando raid by [Israeli](/places/israel/) forces to rescue the hostages.[^1]

[Ari Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) later booked an [Air France](/organizations/air-france/) flight from Europe to [Israel](/places/israel/) for Sayeed Mehdi Kashani.[^1]

[^1]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network*. TrineDay, 1992.