Passenger plane hijacked after taking off from Neyala Airport

SUNA - A Sudanese passenger plan of Sun Air Company was hijacked while it was on a flight from Neyala Airport to Khartoum and was forced to head to the Libyan Jamahiriya, where it landed at Al-Kufra Airport.

The Spokesman of the Civil Aviation Authority, Abdel-Hafiz Abdel-Rahim, said in a statement to SUNA that the plane was on regular flight with 87 passengers on board. The Civil Aviation Authority issued a statement on the hijacking of the plane, explaining that a plane of Sun Air Company, a Boeing 737, left Neyala Airport at 05:30 pm Tuesday on Flight No. 611 on regular flight from Neyala to Khartoum with 87 passengers on board and eight-member crew.

After half an hour of taking off, the plane was subjected to hijacking operation and the hijacker demanded changing the direction of the plane to Cairo and then to Kufra Airport in Libya, where the plane landed safely at about 07:40 pm (Sudan Local Time). Contacts are underway with the Libyan authorities to deal with the incident. Minister of Social Affairs and Deputy Wali (Governor) of South Darfur State Dr. Farah Mustafa said in a statement to SUNA that the passengers included the Commissioner of Lands Commission of the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority Eng. Adam Abdel-Rahman and four others affiliated to the commission, who were among the delegation that participated in a workshop organized by the Authority in Neyala.

The Deputy Wali of South Darfur State added that the government of the state is following the developments of the incident and got assured on the safety of the passengers of the plane that landed at Al-Kufra Airport in Libya. He denounced the hijacking incident