Safety

A hijacking involving a THY Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-400 has ended peacefully with the surrender of the hijacker in southern Italy.

Reports say a man hijacked the aircraft in Greek airspace while on a flight from Tirana in Albania to Istanbul in Turkey. He then forced the crew to land the aircraft in Brindisi, in southern Italy, where he surrendered to authorities.

Early reports said there were two hijackers but the latest reports say there was only one. The early reports also said the hijacking was in protest against the Pope’s planned visit to Turkey, although later reports said the hijacker was seeking political asylum to avoid compulsory military service at home.

On board the 737 were 107 passengers and six crew. Some reports say the hijacker claimed he had a bomb.