Egypt Air Flight Hijack?

[Southside Hangers]

Some press reports of an Egypt Air flight from Alexandria to Cairo being hijacked and directed to Cyprus

[manrow]

Apparently now landed in Larnaca, Cyprus.

[jortheo]

1 hijacker confirmed. Stairs have been requested.

[9 lives]

France 24 News in English has said that the plane was "kidnapped". I think I know what they meant...

[rickstar7891]

Sky News reporting a suspected bomb onboard.

[PAXfips]

German Media (N24) reports: "A320 from Egypt Air"

[da4089]

The Guardian is reporting it as MS181: Hijacked EgyptAir passenger plane lands in Cyprus ? reports | World news | The Guardian

[TwoHeadedTroll]

"The website Sigma Live reports that it is flight MS181 from Alexandria to Cairo with 81 people on board, adding that the Larnaca airport control tower received a message at 8.30 A.M. and that the plane made an emergency landing at 8:50 A.M."




- just when Egypt has been attempting to demonstrate security is strong at its airports. If it cannot adequately prove it now, it never can.

[jortheo]

Our flight MS181 is officially hijacked. we'll publish an official statement now. #Egyptair

from their official twitter account.

[fox niner]

Reportedly the hijacker is wearing a bomb belt around his waist. Whether it is a real one remains to be seen.
(Source: pax on board, see av herald)

[Flightmech]

Looks like PFO is filling up already.

[crewmeal]

Sky reporting that hijacker is a suicide bomber with explosives strapped to his waist. How the hell did that lot get through security???

Man 'Strapped With Explosives' Hijacks Plane

[crewmeal]

If true yet again another example of poor security standards at Egyptian airports. No wonder the UK government is shy of resuming flights to SSH. Another nail for Egyptian tourism.

[ETOPS]

Poor choice of destination by the hijacker.

Remind me - who is based just around the corner in Dhekelia?

[crewmeal]

Egyptair usually carry sky marshalls on their flights, at least they did when I flew from LHR-LXR and back last year.

[HeartyMeatballs]

I very much doubt there's a suicide bomber onboard. I'd be very surprised if there were any explosives or weaponry at all onboard.

What concerns me is the fuelling. They fuelled for a short hop. Yet ended up travelling an awful lot further than they were fuelled for. It could have been another Ethiopian 961, particularly given the sea crossing.

[deci]

FR24:

while in coverage, we did not receive a squawk 7500 signal from #MS181

https://twitter.com/flightradar24/st...13473389830144

[core_dump]

Originally Posted by PembsPanther

not acceptable in any way for explosives to be passing through any airport in this way.

Maybe none did. Surely you're not suggesting that a flight attendant grabbed the handy onboard explosives testing kit, asked the hijacker to hand the belt over to be examined, and carefully scrutinized the hijacker's "goods"?

Just what do you expect security to do when a man shows up with a carry-on bag containing, say, some empty belt pouches, some newspapers or magazines, a corded electric razor, and his car keys? Making a convincing looking suicide belt doesn't require anything that suspicious.

[Mimpe]

Must be easy to get on an aircraft with an explosive belt these days. If it isn't , then the belt is fake.

[cooperplace]

acc. to BBC: (i) "up to 40" pax freed from plane (ii) flight originated in Saudi Arabia. It may be premature to blame Egyptian security. Egypt plane hijacked - latest - BBC News