A hijacked Libyan aeroplane with several passengers on board has reportedly just landed in Malta.
The island's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said in a tweet that he has been informed of a “potential hijack situation of a Libya internal flight diverted to Malta”. “Security and emergency operations are standing by,” he said.
The aeroplane had 118 passengers on board, according to state braodcaster TVM.
The aeroplane, Afriqiyah Airbus A320, landed in Malta at around 11:32am. It is one of three A320s that Afriqiyah, a state-owned airline based in Tripoli, owns. The plane, flight number 8U209, left Sabha in south-west Libya for Tripoli at 10:10am. It was scheduled to arrive in Tripoli at 11:20am, but was instead to diverted to Malta International Airport at 11:20.
The Malta International Airport said in a statement that there was an unlawful interference at the airport and that all emergency teams have been dispatched to the site. A spokesperson for the Malta Air Traffic Services told MaltaToday that it is far too early to release any information. Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said in a tweet that he is following the news with grave concern and that he will offer his full cooperation to the government to protect Malta's security and the safety of the passengers.
Informed of potential hijack situation of a #Libya internal flight diverted to #Malta. Security and emergency operations standing by -JM
— Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) December 23, 2016
