Eight years ago today, a hijacked Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa to Milan via Rome diverted to Geneva. The hijacker was none other than the plane's First Officer, who wished to claim asylum in Switzerland due to a fear of persecution in Ethiopia. Let's take a look back at how this incident unfolded on February 17th, 2014.

The flight involved

Ethiopian Airlines flight ET702 was a regularly scheduled service that originated at the carrier's primary hub: Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD). Serving two Italian cities, its initial destination was Rome–Fiumicino International Airport (FCO). After stopping in the capital, it would continue to Milan Malpensa (MXP).

According to the Aviation Safety Network, the aircraft operating the flight in question on February 17th, 2014 was a Boeing 767-300ER. Registered as ET-AMF, ch-aviation.com notes that this 2000-built twinjet had been with the Ethiopian flag carrier since June 2007. It had previously served Sobelair and Hainan Airlines.

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Ethiopian no longer operates flight ET702 to Rome and Milan. However, FlightRadar24.com shows that, when it last did (October 2021), it flew overnight, leaving at 23:20. Back in 2014, its schedule was slightly different. Indeed, on the day of the hijack, it left at 00:50, 20 minutes after the advertised 00:30.

ET702 Hijack Map
The flight bypassed Rome and Milan in favor of Geneva, Switzerland. Image: FlightRadar24.com

How the hijack unfolded

Following this slightly delayed departure, we can see on the map above that the aircraft retained a largely uniform northwesterly path throughout most of the flight. While, from the flightpath, it is unclear where the hijack occurred, the plane's transponder began squawking 7500 (the code for such events) over Sudan.

At this point, the plane's First Officer took control of the aircraft when the Captain briefly exited the cockpit to use the bathroom. Following this, he locked the doors, giving him sole control over the Boeing 767-300ER, which had 193 passengers and nine crew members onboard. The flight then continued northwest.

The flight's scheduled arrival time in Rome was 04:40. However, having flown past the Italian capital, the flight eventually landed in Geneva at 06:02. By this point, it had experienced an engine flameout, and had just 10 minutes of fuel left onboard. This was because, having been escorted by Italian and French fighter jets, the First Officer had circled several times while attempting to negotiate an asylum claim.

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The aircraft on the ground in Geneva following the peaceful conclusion to the incident. Photo: Getty Images

A peaceful conclusion

Thankfully, the situation concluded peacefully after the plane's arrival. The First Officer, 31-year-old Hailemedhin Abera Tegegn, left the jet via an escape rope, before surrendering himself to police at the temporarily-closed airport. The IB Times notes that, according to the Geneva police, "his act was motivated by the fact that he says he felt threatened in Ethiopia and wanted to ask for asylum in Switzerland."

Swiss Authorities refused to extradite or internally prosecute Hailemedhin, instead favoring mental health treatment after a panel agreed that his behavior showed signs of paranoia. Despite this, Reuters notes that, in March 2015, the Ethiopian High Court trialed him nonetheless, convicting him in absentia and handing down a 20-year prison term. However, his whereabouts were unknown at the time.

Interestingly, the incident also brought to light shortcomings in the Swiss military. The aircraft was escorted by French and Italian jets due to the fact that the country's own airbases didn't typically operate outside of office hours. This policy has since been changed, with a pair of aircraft now on standby on a 24/7 basis.