Key West: A Cuban Airlines plane hijacked by a man claiming to have two grenades landed safely at Key West International Airport in Florida on April 1, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The Soviet-made AN-24 plane landed at 16:34 hours GMT (22:04 hours IST), about 50 minutes after it took off from Havana's Jose Marti International Airport.

Some passengers had safely left the aircraft in Havana, but FAA spokesman Christopher White said 25 passengers and six crew-members were still on the plane when it landed in Florida.