'Two' pilots stabbed in NZ hijack drama
Friday Feb 8 07:22 AEDT
By ninemsn staffwith wires
A woman has been arrested after stabbing at least one pilot on an Air New Zealand flight in a foiled hijacking attempt.
Christchurch Airport was shut down as police bomb squad and sniper squads surrounded the twin-engine Jetstream plane.
Unconfirmed reports suggest both the plane's pilots were wounded when the woman attacked in a mid-air hijacking attempt.
The stabbed pilot was able to walk off the plane, but was rushed to hospital.
The woman was also taken away in an ambulance, after reportedly suffering police dog bites.
It is understood three or four people were taken from the airport by St John Ambulance.
An army spokesman confirmed the bomb squad had been called in to defuse a device.
It was reported to have been in the woman's bag.
Wayne Johnstone, a passenger on board another flight to Invercargill, said he was asked to get off his flight and he saw police surrounding the aircraft involved, Stuff website reported.
He said there was a sniper on the tarmac, and police rushed into the plane.
"I saw a dog go in, the passengers came out in a rush, then the woman came out, bundled to ground and searched by police and taken away."
Passengers at the airport who saw the woman being arrested by police described the woman as middle aged and dressed in black clothes.
All flights in and out of Christchurch airport were suspended this morning and the terminal building closed.
Air New Zealand confirmed that "an incident" had occurred on the scheduled commuter flight and said one passenger was taken into police custody when it landed.
It said the other seven passengers on board were all safe but gave no further details.
About 7am (AEDT), the plane — flight NZ2279 — remained cordoned off on the runway, and an eye witness told NZPA the area was in utter chaos, with traffic banked up hundreds of metres.
"Passengers are getting out of their cars and walking up to their flights, and staff are walking through to the airport," the man, who did not want to be named, said.
Police later said a mayday call was received via the NZ Rescue Co-ordination Centre about 7.40am (5.40am AEDT).
"The pilots on board reported that a female passenger had attacked them in the cockpit, inflicting some minor injuries before she was removed from the cockpit," police said in a statement.
They said the plane landed at 8.06am (6.06am AEDT) and all passengers got off the aircraft safely.
The plane was currently being searched.
Police will be holding a media conference at 10.30am (8:30am AEDT) to update the situation.
