The spokesman, Hossam al-Queish, also told the private CBC TV network that authorities could not confirm that the hijacker, identified as Egyptian national Ibrahim Samaha, had explosives on him.
The channel also showed a photo of Samaha standing in what appears to be the back of an aircraft. He was said to be a doctor.
The director of the Alexandria airport, Hossni Hassan, says there were 26 foreigners on board, including eight Americans, four Britons, four Dutch, two Belgians, a French national, an Italian, two Greeks and one Syrian. He said three other foreigners could not be identified.
Officials at the Egyptian airport from which the hijacked EgyptAir aircraft took off and was taken to Cyprus say the hijacker is a native of the Egyptian Mediterranean city of Alexandria and a dual Egyptian-American citizen.
Egyptian officials have earlier identified the hijacker as Ibrahim Samaha, a veterinarian.
The plane took off from Bourg el-Arab airport just outside Alexandria and was flying on a regular route to Cairo, the Egyptian capital, today when the hijacking took place.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
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