Passengers aboard a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul have overpowered a potential highjacker following an attempt to break into the cockpit of the aircraft.

Local media reports a Turkish national put on a mask and tried to force his way into the cockpit of the plane saying: “I have a bomb”.

He was subsequently overpowered by passengers allowing the plane – which was on route from Oslo, Norway - to land safely in Turkey.

The attacker was arrested upon landing, with the bomb found to be fake. Police identified the hijacker as Cuma Yasar, a Turk from a Kurdish village in the south-eastern region of Anatolia.

No motive has been established for the attack.

Lelya Kilic, one of the 59 passengers on board flight TK1754, told The Turkish Dogan news agency she heard voices from the back of the plane about 30 minutes before it was due to land at Istanbul.

“I saw a fight between passengers and a man with a mask, carrying a device that looked like a radio handset,” she explained.

She added the attacker demanded the plane return to Oslo.

There were no reported injuries following the incident.

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines is the flag-carrier Turkey, headquartered at Atatürk Airport in Yeşilköy, Istanbul.

The airline presently operates a scheduled services to 128 international and 39 domestic cities (38 domestic airports), serving a total of 167 airports, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

The airline was recognised by the World Travel Awards as Europe’s Leading Airline Business Class in 2010.