The hijacker who forced an EgyptAir flight to divert to Larnaca airport in Cyprus has surrendered and all his hostages have been released. 

The man was seen walking down the aircraft steps with his hands raised. 

EgyptAir Flight MS181 was taken over after a passenger said he was wearing a suicide belt.

It was later claimed that Seif Eldin Mustafa had demanded the plane land at Cyprus because he wanted to talk to his estranged wife. He released all the people on board except four foreign passengers and the crew following negotiations, according to EgyptAir.

"It is not something which has to do with terrorism," Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades told reporters.

Asked if a woman was involved he said: "There is always a woman involved."

Witnesses said the hijacker threw a letter on the apron of the airport in Larnaca, written in Arabic, asking that it be delivered to his ex-wife, who is Cypriot.

Most of the hostages were soon released, but Mustafa kept some passengers and crew aboard the plane. 

While it appears the hijacking was not the work of extremists, it is a severe blow to Egypt's aviation and tourist industries, still reeling after the attack on the Russian passenger plane last October. The plane was brought down over the Sinai on its way back from the popular Sharm el-Sheikh resort with the loss of all on board, leading to the UK and other countries suspending flights to the resort and dealing a devastating blow to Egypt's vital tourist trade.