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| Photo PEH |
Russian hijack drama..... An Aeroflot passenger jet was forced to make an emergency landing at Khanty-Mansiysk following an attempt to hijack the aircraft and make it fly to Afghanistan.
The Aeroflot flight, SU1515 was flying from Surgut to Moscow this morning when a passenger had tried to take over the aircraft and demanded it fly to a destination in Afghanistan, according to local media reports.
It's understood that the aircraft was around 149 miles / 240 kilometres from Moscow when the man tried to break into the cockpit, he also claimed he had a weapon. As a direct response to the threat, the pilot decided to divert to the Boeing 737 to a safe airport. Upon arrival in Serbia, the man was taken into police custody and there are so local reports that the man was under the influence of alcohol.
The Russian airline Aeroflot confirmed that its flight had made an emergency landing at Khanty-Mansiysk "following an attempt to divert the aircraft." and that "The passenger who attempted to divert the aircraft has been detained." Aeroflot also confirmed that all of the passengers and crew on board the aircraft had not been injured and had deplaned normally.
"Aeroflot has dispatched a reserve aircraft to Khanty-Mansiysk so that the passengers can continue their journey to Moscow." The airline said in a statement and advised that all Aeroflot staff receive through training to deal with such incidents in order to ensure the safety of passengers.
"Aeroflot’s security service and technical services have been placed on a state of high alert, and all aircraft are undergoing extra checks before take-off. The airline asks its passengers for their understanding of the need for enhanced pre-boarding procedures." the statement from the airline concludes.
