The plane, an Airbus A320, was flying from Alexandria to Cairo and, according to Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CYBC), one man onboard is thought to be armed.
Most of the passengers on board a hijacked Egyptian airliner that was forced to divert to Cyprus have been freed, the airline says.
EgyptAir said negotiations had resulted in the release of all those on board Flight MS181 apart from the crew and four foreign passengers. The plane was carrying 81 passengers from Alexandria to Cairo.
According to BBC, Larnaca airport, on the south coast of Cyprus, has been closed and scheduled flights diverted elsewhere.
Egypt’s Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement that pilot Omar al-Gammal had informed authorities that he was threatened by a passenger who possessed a suicide belt and forced him to land in Larnaca.
Egyptian state media identified the hijacker as Ibrahim Samaha, an Lybian national who checked in from Alexandria airport.
“The pilot said that a passenger told him he had an explosives vest and forced the plane to land in Larnaca,” the Egyptian civil aviation ministry said in a statement.
“The information we have so far is that it is one hijacker. The person has yet to make any demands,” Cypriot foreign ministry Alexandros Zenon told French television.
It also reported that women and children were allowed off the plane and were being transferred by bus.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
