Airliner hijacked over India lands in New Delhi

A Boeing 737 belonging to India's state-run Alliance Air was hijacked just after take off from Bombay.

A Boeing 737 belonging to India's state-run Alliance Air was hijacked just after take off from Bombay.

Indian airport authorities say the hijacked passenger airliner has landed safely in New Delhi and all 52 passengers on board are safe.

Local media says two hijackers telephoned Indian authorities and have requested for two engineers board the plane.

The Indian Military has surrounded the plane and it is believed that officials are in contact with the hijackers.

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The Indian High Commission in London said there were between 52 and 54 passengers and crew on board the jet.

Spokesman Mr Navdeep Suri said the hijackers' demands were unclear at this stage. Reports suggested there were two hijackers.

"We can confirm that the hijacked jet has landed at Delhi and has now been taken to a separate bay," he said.

"The pilot has asked for a couple of engineers to come on board but that is all we know.

"The hijackers have not made any demands yet. We do not know what they want at this stage.

"The security forces are obviously meeting to decide on the best course of action. We are just watching the situation."

Mr Suri said it was not known if the hijack was connected with the terrorist attacks on the US but he stressed that there had been a number of incidents in India in the past.

"We will be trying to get as much information as we can about the situation as it progresses," he added.

additional reporting PAMore news to follow.