Pen used in plane hijack attempt

Air China 737
Air China 737 Photo credit: Getty Images

A flight from Hunan Province in China to Beijing was forced to divert and make an emergency landing in Zhengzhou on Sunday after a passenger attempted to hijack the plane using a pen.

Media reports and photos from Chinese news agencies show at one point the hijacker held a cabin crew member around the neck using the pen as a weapon.

Flight Radar 24 Screenshot.
Flight radar shows path of flight involved in incident. Photo credit: Supplied Flight Radar 24.

Pilots were made aware of what was happening in the cabin and headed to Zhengzhou where local police were waiting for the flight's arrival.

Police in China have said no one was hurt in the incident and a 41-year-old man with a history of mental illness was assisting police with their enquiries.

Xinhua News Agency has reported police and the Chinese civil aviation authority are investigating the details around the incident.

Newshub.