Police are negotiating with two Turkish citizens who hijacked a Turkish airliner with more than 100 people on board, forcing it to land at an Italian airport.

The Turkish Airlines plane was traveling from Tirana, Albania, to Istanbul in Turkey on Tuesday when it was hijacked in Greek airspace, according to Ali Genc, a Turkish Airlines spokesman.

The plane landed safely at Italy's Brindisi airport.

Salvatore Sciacchitano, deputy director of Italy's ENAC civil aviation agency, said: "They seem to be not particularly hostile nor do they appear to be armed.

"They are negotiating right now for the release of passengers."

Protest

Candan Karlitekin, chairman of Turkish Airlines' board of directors, confirmed Turkish news reports that the aircraft was hijacked by two Turks in protest over Pope Benedict XVI's planned visit to Turkey next month.

A Greek defence ministry official said: "The plane sent the [coded hijack] signal twice while in Greek air space. Four Greek fighter jets took off and accompanied the plane as it left Greek air space towards the Italian city of Brindisi."

The plane contacted Italian air traffic controllers just before 5.30pm (14.30 GMT) and asked to land in Brindisi, according to Nicoletta Tomiselli, a spokeswoman for the Italian air traffic agency ENAV.

Tomiselli said the aircraft, carrying 113 people, was escorted to the ground by two Italian military planes.

Photo Caption

The map of Turkey