Air China flight diverted due to 'illegal interference'

An Air China flight was diverted to Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, on Sunday morning, due to "illegal interference."

The CA1350 flight took off from Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, at 8:40 a.m. BJT, and was scheduled to land at Beijing Capital International Airport at 11 a.m.

According to a statement released by Henan Airport Group, the plane was diverted to Zhengzhou, Henan Province and touched down at around 9:58 a.m. The airport is now operating normally.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in an official statement that as of 1:17 p.m. BJT, the incident had been solved successfully with all passengers and crew members safe.

It had been confirmed that the suspect is a 41-year-old male, who used a pen to threaten a crew member during the flight. He was apprehended by Henan police earlier this afternoon, and the incident is currently under investigation.

(CGTN)