DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: A hijacked Afghan passenger jet is on its way to a new destination. Officials in Moscow have not said where the plane will land next. The Ariana Airlines plane was commandeered Saturday during a flight from Kabul to northern Afghanistan. It has made stops in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and most recently, in Moscow. CNN's Matthew Chance is standing by in Moscow with the latest for us -- Matthew.</s>MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Donna. Well, we have learned in the last hour that this Ariana Air Boeing 727 has now taken off to what Russian officials say is an undisclosed destination somewhere in Europe. The aircraft was on the ground here in Moscow for approximately five hours, during which time Russian officials were saying hijackers were consistently in contact with them. The aircraft was refueled by airport staff on the ground. It was stocked with food. The pilots were issued with a map of Europe and of European airports. And a corridor was agreed for the plane to take off, to leave Russian airspace to the west toward Europe. Before it departed Moscow, nine passengers -- nine hostages were released by the hijackers. All of them were men. Russian officials say that it's now known that 20 women and 23 children along with an undisclosed number of men remain on board. Now, as I say, this aircraft has now left Moscow. It is en route westwards toward European airspace. The exact destination of this Afghan airliner is not yet known, but Russian officials say it is heading in the direction of a major European city -- Donna.</s>KELLEY: All right, Matthew Chance in Moscow with the latest for us, thank you.
Afghan Airliner Leaves Moscow, En Route to Western Europe