UK charges two men over Pakistan flight

Two men charged with endangering an aircraft for allegedly forcing a flight from Pakistan to be diverted.

Stansted plane
The flight was diverted from Manchester to Stansted Airport, which handles security incidents on planes [EPA]

British authorities have charged two men with endangering an aircraft after a plane carrying more than 300 people from Pakistan to Britain was diverted mid-flight.

Essex Police said on Sunday that 30-year-old taxi driver Tayyab Subhani and 41-year-old restaurant worker Mohammed Safdar will appear in court on Monday.

Both men, from Lancashire in northwestern England, remain in custody.

A Typhoon fighter jet was scrambled on Friday to divert the Pakistan International Airlines plane travelling from Lahore, Pakistan, to Manchester, and forced it to land at London’s Stansted Airport.

The Boeing 777 plane landed safely.

Details about what happened onboard are sketchy but a security official said the situation did not appear to be terror-related.

Source: News Agencies