Ethiopian flight hijacked

jpower

jpower

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Ethiopian 702 was hijacked and just landed in Geneva. From what I can find, the hijacker was seeking asylum. There's no official information as of now except that there was a military escort and that the plane landed safely after holding for a long time. They were fuel critical and there were unconfirmed reports of a single engine flameout due to fuel exhaustion. There were also unconfirmed reports that the captain left the plane through the window, but that sounds a little ridiculous.

Sooooo not sure exactly what's going on, but it sure sounds like a situation. None of the major US news sites are saying anything yet, but I guess they haven't had the time to put things together?

The airlines.net thread has the most up to date information that I can find, but it's of course nothing official.
 
jpower said:
There were also unconfirmed reports that the captain left the plane through the window, but that sounds a little ridiculous.
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Really ? Why would you say that ? Did you not know that's what the cockpit crew is SUPPOSED to do ?
 
Art VanDelay said:
Really ? Why would you say that ? Did you not know that's what the cockpit crew is SUPPOSED to do ?
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No, I didn't know that's what they're supposed to do haha. But it still sounds a little ridiculous...isn't the cockpit of a 767 pretty high off the ground?
 
jpower said:
No, I didn't know that's what they're supposed to do haha. But it still sounds a little ridiculous...isn't the cockpit of a 767 pretty high off the ground?
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The cockpit windows are the primary means of escape for most Boeing Airliners. And you're right they are pretty high up there, that's why Boeing put escape ropes above the forward most side windows. Still sound ridiculous ?
 
The flight originated in Rome. Given how open Europe is why hijack to go somewhere? Seriously, I walk across the border between France and Geneva a lot when I am working there. Driving, walking or a train between Italy and France is no big deal either. Not even a border check.

Just a few months ago I travelled from Slovenia to France to Geneva and did not even show a passport or id at all. It was easier and less hassle than driving into California and having to deal with the agriculture police and random US Border patrol agents.
 
Art VanDelay said:
The cockpit windows are the primary means of escape for most Boeing Airliners. And you're right they are pretty high up there, that's why Boeing put escape ropes above the forward most side windows. Still sound ridiculous ?
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Nope, not anymore. That reminds me of something I saw that talked about the cockpit escape system of the 747. There was a hatch somewhere--I don't think it was the windows?--that they climbed through, and they grabbed onto the rope with a handle and basically rappelled down the side. That was pretty cool.
 
jpower said:
Nope, not anymore. That reminds me of something I saw that talked about the cockpit escape system of the 747. There was a hatch somewhere--I don't think it was the windows?--that they climbed through, and they grabbed onto the rope with a handle and basically rappelled down the side. That was pretty cool.
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The 747 and 787 have escape hatches in the roof and use a form of inertia reel that supposedly gently lowers you to the ground.
 
I was sitting at the gate in Incheon Korea last week waiting on my plane to arrive and there was a Ethiopian 767 loading. I was thinking about their last hijacking where they ditched in the water and thinking to myself "there's one more airline on my list to avoid"..
 
If the first officer was bound for Rome, why didn't he just seek asylum in Rome after landing there, instead of hijacking the plane to Geneva and seeking it there?
 
NoHeat said:
If the first officer was bound for Rome, why didn't he just seek asylum in Rome after landing there, instead of hijacking the plane to Geneva and seeking it there?
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Oh, great, here goes another "chocolate vs. pasta" ten page thread . . .
 
Why didn't a cabin attendant enter the cockpit when the pilot left. The us airlines always put a member from the back up front when one of the pilots leaves.
 
RotorAndWing said:
I was sitting at the gate in Incheon Korea last week waiting on my plane to arrive and there was a Ethiopian 767 loading. I was thinking about their last hijacking where they ditched in the water and thinking to myself "there's one more airline on my list to avoid"..
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Two months ago I flew Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa to Hargeisa, Somaliland. They were fine and I'd fly them again… might even get a free trip to Geneva. ;)
 
At least he wasn't muttering Tawkalt ala Allah as he drove the plane into the ground.
 
DesertNomad said:
I've flown Air Koryo (North Korean Airlines), Lao Aviation, Aeroflot and I felt Ethiopian was better than all of them… and the best airline flying to Somaliland (the other choices included "Ultimate Air").
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What can I say? Some people are thrill seekers, either by sky diving, BASE jumping or flying on bottom rung third world airlines. :rolleyes:
 
frfly172 said:
Why didn't a cabin attendant enter the cockpit when the pilot left. The us airlines always put a member from the back up front when one of the pilots leaves.
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Most likely they disregard this practice in their country but even here it is not required if they have a video feed of the door area and a remote lock that can be released by a cockpit switch. That's how it is on the 777 and 787.
 
DesertNomad said:
I've flown Air Koryo (North Korean Airlines), Lao Aviation, Aeroflot and I felt Ethiopian was better than all of them… and the best airline flying to Somaliland.
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That's interesting. And it reminds me of a story of mine.

I flew two domestic Aeroflot flights back in the USSR days. What an experience. To start, in Moscow we foreigners were ushered into our own waiting room (no mingling with the natives) that was stocked with two English-language pamphlets, one telling us how popular the Tupolev airliner is, the other how awful the KU Klux Klan is. Then we were ushered onto the Tarmac, where we formed a single-file line passing directly beneath the auxiliary power unit in the tail, which was running very loudly. Once we were on board, the flight left on time, and the plane was seriously fast. Asia is a big continent, and if you want to get across it in good time, a Tupolev will do it. Strange-colored liquids seeped from under the door of the lavatory, which helped reduce the crowds waiting for it. That was a good thing because the single lav served way too many seats and would otherwise have been too crowded. The long narrow carpet running the length of the aisle was not fixed to the floor except at its ends, so it was twisted a few places. When the unsmiling flight attendants pushed their rusty cart up the aisle, they had to lift it, one axle at a time, to get past the twists in the carpet. They handed out a meal that included some indeterminate animal matter that was cut in irregular shapes and wrapped haphazardly in clear plastic wrap, and some juice in military-style olive-drab cans. The juice was good, the flight was fast, and we got to our destination in Siberia on time. Days later, when it was time to go home, I boarded a gleaming Lufthansa Airbus to leave Moscow, and one of the smartly dressed smiling flight attendants offered me a USA Today - it had the headline "Aeroflot ranked most dangerous airline," and I was darn glad I didn't see that before I flew them.
 
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