Image: Aeroflot
Aeroflot Flight SU1515 made an emergency landing at Russia’s Khanty-Mansiysk airport (HMA) after a passenger attempted to hijack the 737-800 on Tuesday. According to the airline, the individual was detained with no injuries to passengers or crew members. It has been reported that the suspect was drunk, claimed to be armed and tried to break into the cockpit to divert the flight to Afghanistan. No weapons were found after his arrest.
“In response to the growing threat of international terrorism in recent years all Aeroflot employees undergo thorough training on responding to such incidents in order to ensure the safety of passengers,” Aeroflot said in a statement. The airline also reported that all of its aircraft will be undergoing additional checks before takeoff. Russian authorities are investigating the incident.
Flight SU1515 was en route to Moscow from Surgut, a city in western Siberia. Aeroflot dispatched a reserve aircraft to HMA transport passengers to Moscow.
