Co-Pilot hijacked Ethiopian Airlines flight

An Ethiopian Airlines co-pilot hijacked a plane bound for Rome and flew it to Switzerland, where he wanted to seek asylum, officials said today.

The Boeing 767-300 aircraft with 202 passengers and crew on board had taken off from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, and landed in Geneva at about 6am local time with just 20 minutes of fuel remaining.

The plane circled around Geneva until the co-pilot heard a direct response about his requests for asylum, it has been reported.

Geneva airport chief executive Robert Deillon told reporters that the co-pilot, an Ethiopian man born in 1983, took control of the plane when the pilot left the cockpit.

‘The pilot went to the toilet and he (the co-pilot) locked himself in the cockpit,’ Mr Deillon said.

The man "wanted asylum in Switzerland",' he said. ‘That's the motivation of the hijacking.’

The hijacking began over Italy, Switzerland's southern neighbour, and two Italian fighter jets were scrambled to accompany the plane, Mr Deillon said.

The co-pilot himself alerted authorities to the plane's hijacking, officials added - though passengers on the plane were unaware it had been hijacked. After landing in Geneva, the co-pilot exited the cockpit using a rope and turned himself in to authorities.

Police escorted passengers one by one, with their hands above their heads, from the taxied plane to waiting vehicles.

Geneva prosecutor Olivier Jornot said Swiss federal authorities were investigating the hijacking and would press charges which could carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.