Invading Switzerland? Try Before 8 or After 5
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h9zK8htJiOVgEYftfcv5Yn68TyEQ?docId=8f097679-971e-42a8-960f-6bd63fb6e318Swiss fighters grounded during hijacking as outside office hours
From AFP -
Geneva — No Swiss fighter jets were scrambled Monday when an Ethiopian Airlines co-pilot hijacked his own plane and forced it to land in Geneva, because it happened outside business hours, the Swiss airforce said.
When the co-pilot on flight ET-702 from Addis Ababa to Rome locked himself in the cockpit while the pilot went to the bathroom and announced a hijacking, Italian and French fighter jets were scrambled to escort the plane through their respective airspaces.
But although the co-pilot-turned-hijacker quickly announced he wanted to land the plane in Switzerland, where he later said he aimed to seek asylum, Switzerland's fleet of F-18s and F-5 Tigers remained on the ground, Swiss airforce spokesman Laurent Savary told AFP.
This, he explained, was because the Swiss airforce is only available during office hours. These are reported to be from 8am until noon, then 1:30 to 5pm.
"Switzerland cannot intervene because its airbases are closed at night and on the weekend," he said, adding: "It's a question of budget and staffing."
Monday's hijacking, carried out by 31-year-old Hailemedehin Abera Tagegn, according to Addis Ababa, took place in the very early hours, with the aircraft and its 202 passengers and crew landing safely in Geneva at 6:02 am (0502 GMT).
That was just two minutes after the airport opened for business, and two hours before the Swiss airforce is operational.
Savary said Switzerland relies heavily on deals with its neighbours, especially France, to help police its airspace outside regular office hours.
He explained that French fighters can escort a suspicious aircraft into Swiss airspace, "but there is no question of shooting it down. It's a question of national sovereignty".
Swiss airspace is under constant electronic surveillance, he pointed out, adding that the wealthy Alpine nation is also studying the possibility of expanding its airforce coverage to a round-the-clock operation.
That plan is however not set to kick into action until 2020, when Switzerland is expected to replace its fleet of fighters with Swedish Gripen planes.
The purchase of the Swedish planes meanwhile rely on whether it is approved in an upcoming popular vote, with a poll published Monday showing 53 percent of Swiss oppose the deal.
Last edited by spiderweb6969 on 18-2-2014 12:40 PM
Another report -
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-17/i...or-after-5.html
Invading Switzerland? Try Before 8 or After 5
Want to invade Switzerland? Here’s a tip: strike outside office hours.
When an Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise aircraft carrying 202 passengers entered Swiss airspace today after being hijacked by the co-pilot en route to Rome, Switzerland’s Air Force remained on the ground. That’s because the incident occurred outside normal office hours. Instead, French and Italian fighter jets escorted the Boeing 767 to a safe landing in Geneva.
“You have a budget and you have to prioritize,” said Swiss Air Force spokesman Juerg Nussbaum. While Switzerland monitors airspace around the clock, intervention only occurs during routine business hours starting at 8 a.m., he said.
The Ethiopian plane, which originated in Addis Ababa, landed in Geneva shortly after 6 a.m. and the co-pilot gave himself up to police after sliding down a rope from the cockpit window. Authorities briefly closed the airport, and by early afternoon it had resumed normal service.
As it passed through Egyptian airspace, the Ethiopian carrier flashed a hijacking code. That alerted Italian officials, who scrambled Eurofighter aircraft. Later, a duo of French Mirage 2000s escorted the airliner to Geneva. Both Italy and France have permission to enter Swiss airspace.
The relaxed attitude toward today’s breach comes just a week after Swiss voters approved a plan to toughen border restrictions and curb immigration. Swiss officials say that the Ethiopian co-pilot is unlikely to receive asylum, and that he faces as many as 20 years in prison. Hmmm you can also do it during the lunch hour! Nampaknya pintu kokpit yg diperkuatkan lepas 911 dah banyak timbulkan masalah bila pilot jadi mereng dan biul. Depa kena tukar sop ni. Maybe depa patut buat toilet utk pilot sahaja dlm kokpit, dan pilot tak boleh keluar dari kokpit lagi sampai kapal tiba kat terminal. Or maybe airline kena latih chimpanzee utk ketuk kepala pilot yg biul bila depa buat benda2 merapu. Some airlne emphasise on cabin crew utk masuk tunggu dlm kokpit bila one of the pilot pi toilet, just for added safety precaution, so kalau pilot biul pon at least cabin crew tu boleh buka pintu n minta assistant crew lain. Nampak gayanya semua airline kena mandatory buat benda ni tak lama lagi. Terbaik ahhh .... gila ke apa? Soal pertahanan negara pun ada waktu office hour gak .... pengurusan pejabat takpe lagi, ni kalau pencerobohan bersenjata? robotech posted on 20-2-2014 05:50 PM static/image/common/back.gif
Terbaik ahhh .... gila ke apa? Soal pertahanan negara pun ada waktu office hour gak .... pengurusan...
when everything is money, even setiap inci tenaga dan masa utk buat apa pon semuanya faktor duit, inilah hasilnya... http://www.everten.com.au/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/w/swiss-army-knife-handyman.jpg
swiss army 24/7 :D
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