Ethiopian Airlines 702 Hijacked: Lands at Geneva

 

Ethiopian Airlines flight 702 was operating from Addis Abba to Rome when it started squawking  7500.  The aircraft circled above Geneva Airport(GVA) for quite some time. The pilots relayed "asylum" request.

The pilots seemed to be calm as the situation unfolded over Geneva.  The plane was reported to be running low on fuel.  The pilots reported they only had 20 minutes of fuel remaining. From audio provided by LiveATC there was an unconfirmed report that one of the engines may have flamed out.

The pilots made several inquiries on whether asylum would be granted upon landing. 

The Aircraft landed safely and taxied to the end of the runway 

Geneva Airport and surrounding airspace have been closed as negotiations begin.  Geneva Tower hopes to have the airport reopened by 7:00 LT

update: 1AM EST 7AM LT Geneva Airport remains closed. Geneva tower advises that they are unsure when airport will reopen.

Update:  So it turns out the copilot hijacked the plane. No forced entry, no weapons, and the passengers were never threatened.