Russian air hijack alarm set off in error

Two Russian airliners today radioed hijacking alarms, but the signals were transmitted in error and the planes landed safely at their destination, a spokesman for the airline said.

The two Perm Airlines An-24 turboprops were en route from Moscow to the Siberian city of Perm when the signals were triggered in error during alarm system tests, said a duty officer.

Viktor Beltsov, a spokesman for the Ministry of Emergency Situations, confirmed the alarms were erroneous.

Each plane had about 30 people aboard, the airline official said.