A hijacked Ethiopian Airlines jet landed safely in Geneva after the co-pilot allegedly seized control of the aircraft and requested asylum in Switzerland, according to multiple news reports.
Citing police, Reuters say the copilot took control of the Boeing 767-300 while the pilot was in the bathroom.
All 193 passengers are reportedly safe and were seen leaving the aircraft with their hands on their necks before boarding a bus.
Flight 702 had been en route to Rome from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, when it sent out transponder code 7500, which is supposed to indicate a hijacking, according to AirlineReporter.com, a website of self-described "aviation geeks."
The plane had been flying over Sudan when it sent out the signal. It reached Geneva with just 20 minutes of
fuel left, circling the airport several times before landing, AirlineReporter noted, citing information from air traffic controllers heard on LiveATC.net.
The incident briefly shut down the busy airport and caused the cancelation of some flights as incoming aircraft were diverted to other airports.
"Ethiopian Airlines flight ET-702 on scheduled service departing from Addis Ababa on 17 February 2014 at 00:30 (local time) scheduled to arrive in Rome at 04:40 (local time) was forced to proceed to Geneva Airport," the airline said in a statement.
The airline did not say whether the plane had been hijacked nor did it offer a reason for the diversion.
"Accordingly, the flight has landed safely at Geneva Airport. All passengers and crew are safe at Geneva Airport. Ethiopian Airlines is making immediate arrangements to fly its esteemed customers on-board the flight to their intended destinations."
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