An Aeroflot plane en route from Moscow to Havana has deviated from its course, FlightAware live flight tracking indicates. The news has sparked online speculation that NSA leaker Edward Snowden may be aboard the aircraft.

Aeroflot flight 150 to Havana took off from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport at 14:10 pm local time (10:10 GMT) on Thursday. Whistleblower Edward Snowden has been holed up in the airport for the past two weeks.

The flight route usually passes over Scandinavia and across Greenland before turning south over Canada and the United States. However, this time the flight headed west across Europe before continuing its path over the Atlantic Ocean.

The detour has spawned speculation in the media and on Twitter that Snowden may be aboard the plane and that that the plane may be trying to avoid entering US airspace. Snowden is wanted in the US on charges of espionage for revealing secret NSA surveillance programs. 

The plane is expected to land in the Cuban capital around 00:30 GMT. 

When Snowden arrived in Moscow from Hong Kong over two weeks ago, the media thought that Snowden was on his way to Havana because he reportedly had a ticket to Cuba. The news caused quite a stir among journalists who rushed to get tickets on the same flight. However, Snowden never boarded the flight. 

The July 11 route for Aeroflot 150 from Moscow to Havana, according to flightaware.com flight tracker.

The usual route for Aeroflot 150 from Moscow to Havana, according to flightaware.com flight tracker.

The 30-year-old whistleblower has applied for asylum in over 20 countries around the globe. However, so far only three countries in Latin America – Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua – have said they would grant asylum to the former CIA employee. 

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