A Ukrainian plane bound for Turkey was forced to make an emergency landing Friday after a drunk passenger yelled there was a bomb on board and tried to divert the flight to Sochi, a Turkish official said.
The Pegasus Airlines flight carrying 110 passengers landed safely at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport and the alleged boozed-up Ukrainian hijacker was taken into custody, CNN Turk and other local media reported.
The passenger had yelled there was a bomb in the baggage comparatment of the plane departing from Kharkov, Ukraine, according to CNN Turk.
The pilots then sent a signal to the airport alerting officials to a hijack attempt after the drunkard failed to enter the locked cockpit, according to Habib Soluk, the Transport Ministry undersecretary.
An F-16 took to the sky once the alarm signal went out.
The would-be hijacker was “in a state of severe alcohol intoxication,” Interfax news reported, citing the Ukrainian Security Service.
No explosive or weapons were found on the passenger, according to the news agency.
The plane landed safely and was parked in a safe zone at the airport, according to reports.
Security forces then descended on the plane parked in a “safe area,” according to officials.
“The flight crew worked hard to convince the hijackers to abort their attempt,” Turkish newspaper Today’s Zaman reported.
Officials have expressed concern for months about possible terrorist attacks at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The extravagant opening ceremony of the Games was just getting underway when the hijacking attempt was first reported.
With News Wire Services
