Passenger on Surgut-Moscow flight demands to divert plane to Afghanistan

A passenger on an Aeroflot flight from Russia's Surgut to Moscow demanded that the plane travel to Afghanistan instead, according to an aviation industry source.

According to the service FlightRadar, flight SU1515 departed from Surgut at 11.00 Moscow time and was to land at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport at 19.30 Moscow time. However, the plane changed course.

The flight crew managed to persuade the passenger demanding the change to land in Khanty-Mansiysk for refuelling.

Russian airline Aeroflot has confirmed in its flight information display that the aircraft had landed at Khanty-Mansiysk airport at 14:23 Moscow time.

Russia's National Antiterrorism Committee says the passenger is still inside the plane, after earlier saying he'd been detained. 

The man could now be charged with hijacking an aircraft, RT reported.