An Aeroflot flight en route to Moscow was forced to divert to an airport in Siberia after a passenger demanded the aircraft change route, according to Russia's National Antiterrorism Committee
ADVERTISEMENTA Russian passenger aircraft en route to Moscow diverted to an airport in Siberia on Tuesday after a passenger demanded the flight be re-routed, Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said in an alert on its website.
Aeroflot flight 1515 took off from Russia's Surgut Airport at 14.55 local time and was en route to Moscow before it made a sharp diversion and landed at Khanty-Mansiysk airport a short while later.
Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said authorities were "taking measures to establish all circumstaces of the incident," in a statement to its website.
"The plane en route from Surgut to Moscow changed course at the request of one of the passengers. The commander of the aircraft decided to land in Khanty-Mansiysk."
According to RIA, Russia's state-backed news agency, the crew managed to convince the passenger that the plane needed refuelling at Khanty-Mansiysk.
The unruly passenger was detained shortly after the aircraft landed, the airline confirmed in a statement.
"None of the passengers and crew members were injured," the statement continued.
"In connection with the increased threat of international terrorism in recent years, all Aeroflot employees receive detailed instructions on the necessary actions to look after the health and lives of passengers in the event of such incidents."
"At present, the Aeroflot security service and technical services are in a state of heightened vigilance."
Aeroflot confirmed all the passengers would continue their journey to Moscow, and flights continued to be scheduled as normal.