However, this being Geneva, I guess the first thing the police will do is stick a fine on the plane's windscreen for double parking. 

Rich, 

Plane hadn't got the 2014 Vignette!!!! For sure action will be taken against this behaviour. 

the UDC has said: our airspace, our home.  

Steven Wright, comedian, 1985:

"I used to be a parking attendant in Boston at Logan Airport.

"I parked jets.

"They let me go, though, because I kept locking the keys in them.

One thing I do not understand. Could he not have asked for asylum in Rome, without having to hijack the plane?  Or even travelled overland from Italy to Switzerland (although ready cash might have been a problem or impossibility to avoid the rest of the crew at Rome airport)

For Paul's questions, this co-pilot must have done a research before he did this and decided that he prefer Switzerland. Also, to ask for asylum, he must have good reasons to get it. Hijacking a plane he might believe would give him grounds to ask that he not be returned to his own country. Would this be considered criminal act, though?  

Jen

Of course it migfht be that Italy has some deportation agreement with its former colony.  Hoping that some of these UN experts will enlighten me

Paul, the answer might also be that he's just plain crazy? I mean, does it sound sane to scheme a PLANE hijacking just to get to a country to ask for asylum??????? lol

Wanessa. The thought had crossed my mind.  i was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.  But as noone else has replied I think I will leave it and agree with you

I am not working in this field, but to answer Paul's questions, I do not think this has much to do with agreement with its former colony.... You might have mixed it up with extradition agreement. To send him back to his country or not depends on his reasons for seeking asylum and if he can prove he would be in danger of being tortured or facing death if he is sent back to his own country. It is crazy to take such a drastic action. But he might not have other choices if he is just allowed to fly the route between Addis Ababa and Rome, but he believes he could get a better chance to get his asylum approved in Switzerland, or he simply wants to live in Switzerland. Now we will read from the media why he did this (maybe human right issues, different political views....), and if the Swiss suthority will believe his story.....   

I'm surprised no one has said anything in regard to the Swiss Air Force's lack of response. They evidently don't fly until after 08:00 AM? (surely that isn't true?) I'm told the Italian AF escorted the airliner to Mont Blanc, where the French took over and escorted it into the Geneva airport.

Anyone know the reason the Swiss AF didn't scramble?

KEN///

No winter tyres on their planes?

No dignified country invades another until after breakfast.

And yes it is true the AF only operate on business hours. 

Prison in Rome versus Prison in Switzerland????  Mmmmmm .... tough decision!

The pic is from the "expulsion jail" at Zueri Airport... doubt Geneva is much worse.

https://news.yahoo.com/swiss-fighters-grounded-during-hijacking-outside-office-hours-182241347.html

Wow. Thanks Martin

One would wonder what those fearless Swiss fighter pilots do in business hours, I guess train for hijacked aircraft arriving in the morning or afternoon after lunch, but of course preferably morning time as well you know there may be wine with lunch as is often the case in Switzerland. 

So what happens if there's in the middle of a dogfight and it hits midday? Do they have to return to base, get fondue-ed up and then head up again hoping that during the last 90 minutes the cities and towns they were protecting haven't been bombed to sh-t!

Shame they're not more like this bloke!  

No, they hope the other side will have a three-hour lunch.

http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-17/invading-switzerland-try-before-8-or-after-5.html

I was told (by colleagues at the GVA airport) that the Swiss authorities were advised of the aircraft's intentions immediately after the copilot made his intentions clear. Yet, they refused to scramble their fighters, because of the early hour. 

I'm still struggling with this. There has to be a more logical reason......(surely???)

KEN

For Ken still struggling with this, I believe the co-pilot thought he would have to make a big event out of this in order to get asylum. If he could have a chance, he would try to do this with the US, where it would be easier to get asylum.

Wrong. That wasn't what I was talking about at all. It's the Swiss Air Force's lack of response to a crisis.

A far as the pilot goes, he put 220 innocent lives at risk when he pulled this stupid, ignorant stunt. He deserves to be punished.

So, in case this co-pilot  would had decided to send an attack against Geneva imitating 9/11 the decisition to put the plane  down would be in the hands of another nation's army. 

I can not see the picture in terms of legal stuff and operational time response!! It is supposed to be manage by one men, one call, one missile. 

Rules of the engagement for these situations are not clear enough.

what would you do in that situation if the plane becames a potential weapon against Swiss citizens? How can we call this? ......neutrality.? 

Very good questions! My understanding (hearsay, at this point) is that the French AF did not have "shoot down" authority. Only the Swiss have that authority. So, with a little imagination, (to your exact point) this idiot could have taken all 220 aboard and the contents and souls of whatever area, or establishment he desired,...be it the Paquis, or the UN, etc...

So we had the French and the Italian doing the work for us...

What's new?

That emergency alarm which was tested about a month ago, does that work at all hours or have specific timing? Due to this one incident now the whole world knows when to come to Switzerland for any such activity 

Yeah, I forgot....there is that

or lunch time...

Another interesting thing was the behaviour of the captain pilot; it is stated in the news that he had tried the to break the cockpit door to enter; well, no expert here but if there is a hijacker flying the plane how safe is to do that; what would happen if he could get in; the captain must be questioned for his reckless action. (the hijacker had threatend to crash the plane during his attempt)

Exactly.  R.

He wanted to immigrate and live in Switzerland??????

Perhaps he didn't know about the Swiss vote of 9th February against immigration?

I suppose the pilot did not realize what was happening at first, then, probably did not believe what was happening.

Seeking asylum is a quick way to settle down in a country, but would that be called immigration? I don't think it will count in the quota.

Satire from Couleur 3 (Sorry, only in French)

hmmm...what is the monthly rental? it is positively salubrious compared to some of the rentl properties I've seen

War O'Clock is War O'Clock...that's the way we've always done it! o_O

the only reason could be not being involved in a shoot down situation.