In the early morning of February 1, 1979, Air France's Boeing 747 swooped twice over Tehran Airport in visual flight. There is an anxious silence in the cabin. None of the passengers knows whether the plane is allowed to land. Out of concern that the runway could be closed off by barriers or blocked by tanks, the pilot had an extra large amount of kerosene refueled before take-off in Paris. He is ready to abort the landing and turn back at any time.

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