An EgyptAir plane flying from Cairo to Alexandria was hijacked earlier today and diverted to Cyprus, where it was forced to land at Larnaca airport on the south coast, Cypriot police and Egyptian civil aviation authority officials confirmed.
A statement from the Egyptian aviation authority said the MS181 is an Airbus and that it had 55 passengers on board and five crew members. A crisis team has been deployed to the airport.
Cyprus state media said between 30-40 passengers were released from the plane.
Airport security sources said the passengers on board the flight included eight Britons and 10 Americans.
EgyptAir said it had negotiated the release of all passengers on board the plane except for five foreigners and the crew.
Egyptian civil aviation and police sources say the plane was hijacked by one person, and that there are about 60 people on board.
An Egyptian civil aviation ministry statement said: “The pilot said that a passenger told him he had an explosives vest and forced the plane to land in Larnaca.”
A Cypriot government official also said there are suspicions of a bomb on board.
A second Cypriot official said there “seems like there’s more than one hijacker”. He added that there have been no demands other than that police vehicles move away from the aircraft.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity under regulations.
The Cyprus Foreign Ministry Secretary General told French TV that the hijacker has yet to make any demands.
A hijacker contacted the control tower at 8:30 am and the plane was given permission to land at 8:50 am, the police said.
