Swiss Air Force Waited 3 Hours To Respond To Hijacked Ethiopian Airlines Plane Because They Hadn't STARTED WORK

The country’s jets remained grounded throughout the entire drama because it happened outside normal office hours

Reuters

Air farce: A police vehicle guards in front of the hijacked Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 702

Swiss fighter jets could not be scrambled when a hijacked Ethiopian passenger plane entered the country’s airspace as its air force only works DAYTIME HOURS.

The country’s jets remained grounded throughout the entire drama because it happened outside normal office hours.

Instead, Italian Eurofighters escorted the plane with 202 passengers and crew on board to the Swiss border, where French mirage jets accompanied it to Geneva airport on Monday morning.

Switzerland’s air force chiefs were alerted to the drama at 4.30am, but did nothing because they do not start work until 8am.

Swiss airforce spokesman Laurent Savary said: “Switzerland cannot intervene because its airbases are closed at night and at the weekends. It’s a question of budget and staffing.”

Ethiopian Airlines flight ET702 from Addis Ababa to Rome was hijacked by its own co-pilot Hailemedehin Abera Tagegn, 31, who locked himself in the cockpit while the captain went to the loo.

Photo Credit

He then threatened to crash the plane unless he was given permission to land in Geneva where he wanted to claim asylum.

When the plane touched down at 6am, Geneva police arrested Tagegn after he scaled down a rope out of the cockpit window.

Prosecutors have described the chances of his asylum demands being met as ‘slim’, and he now faces a 20-year prison sentence.

Audio was allegedly recorded of the hijacker by Twitter user @matthewkeyslive.

In it he says: "We need asylum or assurance that we will not be transferred to the Ethiopian government."

AUDIO of Ethiopian Air 702 requesting asylum - https://t.co/EdslUaymYx | Audio of landing - https://t.co/c8GkasDnlb

— Matthew Keys (@MatthewKeysLive) February 17, 2014

Air force spokesman Mr Savary said Switzerland relied heavily on deals with its neighbours to help police its airspace outside office hours.

He added: “French fighters can escort a suspicious aircraft into Swiss airspace, but there is no question of shooting it down. It’s a question of national sovereignty.”

Switzerland was apparently planning to expand its air force and make it operational around the clock, but not until at least 2020, Mr Savary said.

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