CAIRO, Dec 17 (Aswat Masriya) – An Egyptian plane was held at the Malmö Airport since early Wednesday after airport authorities discovered that its passengers, of Syrian nationality, carried fake visas to the country, sources from the civil aviation ministry said.

A Cessna Stationer of the Egyptian Smart Aviation airline took off from the Beirut Airport in Lebanon, headed for Sweden, with 10 Syrian passengers on board, the sources said.

Malmö Airport authorities held the plane, detaining its pilots alongside the passengers, upon discovering that the passengers were travelling with fake visas to Sweden. The passengers sought political asylum as soon as the plane landed.

Egypt’s ministries of civil aviation and foreign affairs are in contact with the Swedish authority to release the plane, the sources said. 

The sources told Aswat Masriya that Egyptian authorities will contact the Beirut Airport and Lebanese authorities to enquire about the passengers’ ability to leave the airport with fake visas.

Smart Aviation is a civil aviation ministry-affiliated carrier, partially owned by the national carrier EgyptAir.

Political turmoil in Syria has led to an unprecedented influx of refugees to neighbouring countries since anti-regime protests broke out in 2011. Syrian refugees often seek asylum in European countries, where they usually sail illegally.