"Hijacked" Surgut plane carried no banned items - airport
KHANTY-MANSIYSK. Jan 22 (Interfax) - The aviation safety staff at Surgut airport acted entirely in accordance with the transport safety requirements, the Surgut Airport press service said.
After a report was received about the hijacking of the Aeroflot flight SU1515 from Surgut to Moscow, the Surgut Airport's aviation safety service carefully analyzed the CCTV footage and archive recordings made by airport scanners, the press service said on Tuesday.
"As the result it was established that our aviation security staff acted fully in accordance with the transport safety requirements. No banned items and substances were allowed on board the aircraft," the statement said.
The Surgut international airport continues operating as usual, all arrivals and departures are as per schedule, it said.
It was reported earlier that a 41-year-old Russian passenger on an Aeroflot flight from Surgut to Moscow had demanded during the flight that the airliner fly to Afghanistan. The captain of the aircraft decided to make an emergency landing in Khanty-Mansiisk, where the hijacker was apprehended by special services. He is a Surgut resident with a previous conviction for property damage.
A criminal inquiry has been launched into hijacking of an aircraft with a threat of violence.
According to the television channel Rossiya 24 (VGTRK), there were 75 people on the SU1515 flight, including five children and seven crew members.