Stanstead airport, where the hijacked plane is standing on an isolated runway, has been designated by the British authorities to deal with such emergencies.

It's quieter than the three other main airports serving London and the plane is parked well away from terminal buildings.

Although the safety of passengers is the first priority, British officials have taken a firm line in dealing with hijackings, sieges and other similar threats to security in the past: they negotiate for as long possible but don't make any significant concessions and, in the case of hijackings, never let the plane take off again.

Britain has plenty of expertise in the field of security, arising from the Northern Ireland crisis and handling Middle eastern extremism.

The last hijacking at Stansted airport, four years ago, ended peacefully when gunmen aboard a Sudanese aircraft gave themselves up.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service