Could a computer hacker take control of an airliner in flight using a smartphone app?

It is a terrifying prospect – a would-be hijacker seizes control of a plane from the ground armed with nothing more than a smartphone.

But such a scenario could come to pass, according to an internet security consultant.

He says he has created an app that can take over a plane’s computers, giving the phone and its user total control of the aircraft.

Hugo Teso, 30, who is also a trained commercial pilot, claims he can make an airliner ‘dance to his tune’ by using the technology – which would not be picked up by security checks.

In a simulation he was able to do everything from change the air-conditioning settings to feed false navigational information to a jet, making it change course. Aviation agencies in Europe and the US are now keen to interview Mr Teso about his PlaneSploit app.

Speaking at the Hack In The Box Conference in Amsterdam, he said that after four years of research he was able to subvert the flight management systems (FMS) found on most aircraft.

To test the technology, Mr Teso built a simulator from spare plane parts he bought on eBay, which ran on many of the systems that are used on commercial aircraft.