Authorities in UK say 2 men charged after plane from Pakistan to Britain diverted

May 24, 2013 - Passengers disembark from Pakistan International Airlines flight PK709 bound for Manchester from Lahore, Pakistan, after it was diverted to Stansted Airport, north of London, England. (AP)

British authorities have charged two men with endangering an aircraft after a plane carrying more than 300 people from Pakistan to Britain was diverted mid-flight.

Essex Police said Sunday that 30-year-old taxi driver Tayyab Subhani and 41-year-old restaurant worker Mohammed Safdar will appear in court on Monday.

Both men, from Lancashire in northwestern England, remain in custody.

A Typhoon fighter jet was scrambled on Friday to divert the Pakistan International Airlines plane traveling from Lahore, Pakistan, to Manchester, and forced it to land at London's Stansted Airport. The Boeing 777 plane landed safely.

Details about what happened onboard are sketchy but a security official said the situation did not appear to be terror-related.