Flight 702 was en route to Rome from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, when it sent out transponder code 7500, which is supposed to indicate a hijacking, according to AirlineReporter.com, a website of self-described "aviation geeks."
BBC News says there has been one arrest and that police describe the situation as "under control."
The plane, a Boeing 767-300, was flying over Sudan when it sent out the signal.
It reached Geneva with just 20 minutes of fuel left, circling the airport several times before landing, AirlineReporter noted, citing information from air traffic controllers heard on LiveATC.net.
The Geneva airport was shut down and the jet circled several times before landing, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Reuters also reported the incident as a hijacking.
"Ethiopian Airlines flight ET-702 on scheduled service departing from Addis Ababa on 17 February 2014 at 00:30 (local time) scheduled to arrive in Rome at 04:40 (local time) was forced to proceed to Geneva Airport," the airline said in a statement.
The airline did not say whether the plane had been hijacked nor did it offer a reason for the diversion.
"Accordingly, the flight has landed safely at Geneva Airport. All passengers and crew are safe at Geneva Airport. Ethiopian Airlines is making immediate arrangements to fly its esteemed customers on-board the flight to their intended destinations."
This is a developing story. The Huffington Post will update this page with information as it arrives.
No comments:
Post a Comment