NICOSIA: Unidentified hijackers seized an Egyptian airliner on Tuesday and diverted it to Cyprus, where it landed at Larnaca airport on the south coast, local police said.
The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation reported that 55 people were on board, with a crew of 7. There were earlier reports of about 80 to 81 people on board.
The hijackers contacted the control tower at 8:30 am (0530 GMT) and the plane was given permission to land at 8:50 am, the police said.
The hijackers made no immediate demands and a crisis team has been deployed to the airport. At least one man on board was thought to be armed, said news agency Reuters.
The EgyptAir plane was flying from the Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria to the capital, Cairo.
An unnamed official said a bomb is suspected on board, according to news agency Associated Press.
