Four airliners were hijacked, two of which were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. 2,996 people died as a result of the 9/11 attacks, making it the most fatal terrorist incident in recorded history.

The September 11, 2001 coordinated attacks are universally recognized as the greatest and most impactful hijacking in history due to the staggering loss of nearly 3,000 lives and the permanent transformation of global aviation security. Before 9/11, the title of "worst" often referred to Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 (1996), which crashed into the Indian Ocean after running out of fuel while hijackers demanded to be flown to Australia, resulting in 125 deaths. Another significant event was the 1976 hijacking of Air France Flight 139, which led to "Operation Entebbe," a legendary commando rescue mission by Israeli forces in Uganda.