200808272028 | Khartoum bound plane hijacked in Darfur

Khartoum bound plane hijacked in Darfur

A Sudanese passenger plane was hijacked between the town of Nyala in Darfur and it landed in Libya, the Arabic satellite TV channel Al Jazeera said yesterday. It is reported that there were 87 passengers on the plane, which belongs to a private local operator. It had been bound for Khartoum from Nyala, which is the capital of South Darfur.

Egyptian authorities denied it permission to land and the plane changed course towards Libya, the Arabic satellite TV channel said.

A spokesman for the Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority, Abdel Hafiz Abdel Rahim, said: “A plane has been hijacked and is thought to be in Libya.” Libyan government officials confirmed plane had landed in Tripoli, and by press time, the plane’s crew had made a request to fly on to France.

State-owned Sudan Airways said it was not one of its planes.

An aviation source said it belonged to Sunair, a Khartoum-based private airline. Communications with the plane were cut off after the hijacking, Al Jazeera added.