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Glite Dictionary
✈️ An airplane hijack ✈️ To hijack a plane
skyjacking

skyjacking

1 9.6
An illegal act of taking control of an airplane in flight by force or threat
  • noun
  • /ˈskaɪˌdʒækɪŋ/
  • NSFW
translation icon : secuestro de aviones
  • The airport implemented strict security measures to prevent skyjacking incidents.

Examples

  • It is my recollection—but check me, because I was young then—that KCI may have been the last major airport designed prior to the skyjackings of the early 1970s.

    Blog text (5)

  • It could become a fad like skyjacking and get out of hand.

    Wonder Women (1973)

  • But during the 1961-1972 skyjacking golden years, upwards of 50% of hijackers were successful.

    Blog text (18)

  • They found that the fall in transnational skyjacking was statistically significant after such technology was in place.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Enders, Sandler, and Cauley (1990) studied the effects of metal detector technology on the number of skyjacking incidents.

    Academic text (2004)

  • After a series of skyjackings, airlines began to prioritize passenger safety.

  • Law enforcement agencies investigated several skyjackings that occurred last year.

Synonyms

hijacking
vsskyjacking
  • NSFW
37 7.0

To take control of a moving vehicle by force or threats

is specific to aircraft while in flight rather than any vehicle
piracy
vsskyjacking
  • NSFW
19 6.1

Taking control of a ship or plane by force to steal from it

is limited to planes in flight rather than ships or general sea attacks
highjacking
vsskyjacking
  • US
8.1

Taking a moving vehicle by force to steal things or demand money

focuses on taking aircraft control in flight not necessarily for theft

How Violent

terrorist attack
  • NSFW
110 3.9
skyjacking
  • NSFW
1 9.6
hijacking
  • NSFW
37 7.0
takeover
  • Literature
84 5.4
seizure
  • Formal
71 6.1

Surface Forms

skyjacking singular
skyjackings plural

Morphology

skyjacking = skyjack (transparent) = sky + jack + ing

The verb 'skyjack' is a literal combination of 'sky' + 'jack' (to seize), and adding '-ing' forms the action/gerund; the relation is clear to learners.

Etymology

The word skyjacking combines sky ('the air above us') and jack ('to take by force'), like in carjack. So skyjacking is the act of taking control of a plane by force.