However, my favorite part of the story comes from Yahoo! News:
Now THAT’S civilized!
I suppose we will be banned from taking co-pilots on board now.
They’ll be permitted only in your checked luggage.
I saw that they monitor their airspace around the clock, but only launch intervention during business hours, due to budget constraints. What, do they write down incursions on a To Do list?
In any case, French and Italian fighters escorted the plane into Switzerland. They should send the bill to Switzerland, including time-and-half pay for the pilots who were forced to work outside business hours.
They were going to Italy anyway. Why not just seek asylum there? Or walk into the Swiss embassy in Rome?
I was in Geneva this morning, flying out to London, and was delayed a few hours by this incident - which closed the entire airport for, as they put it “operational reasons”. Of course, everyone was immediately on the news websites and found out exactly what was going on, but I wasn’t aware of the full story until I reached London later today. It all seems rather complex and convoluted. Why Switzerland specifically? Also, I understand he’s been arrested and charged with kidnapping - it all seems a terribly roundabout and dangerous way of seeking asylum, which he may not get. He’s certainly not made any friends or earned any sympathy with this stunt.
Also, since the SO is Swiss, I now intend to make some remarks about how easy it would be to invade outside of business hours. I had no idea they shut down outside those times. Heh.
Or in 100ml containers.
Good a time as any to switch over to the long-anticipated “pilot and a dog” setup.
(You know, the pilot feeds the dog, while the dog makes sure the pilot doesn’t touch any of the automated controls…)
Ethiopia and Italy have a bit of history. If you’re crazy enough to hijack your own plane, this might be a compelling reason.
It still seems a bit nonsensical. Switzerland is in the Schengen zone. He could have landed in Rome, gone about his normal business, and been in Geneva in a few hours without endangering a whole planeful of people.
But they’re Swiss, which means they fly EXACTLY from 8:00 to noon and 1:30 to 5:00.
Well, no, but they find it very impolite when others do not. Also, the proper procedure for dealing with incursions varies by canton; Basel has been reviewing theirs for the last eight years but they can’t agree on whether the droves of workers residing in France and Germany who go to work in Basel every morning count as an incursion or not.
Yes, and they ask the pilots of the encroaching planes to circle and wait until the Swiss reception committee is ready.
Hey, wait a minute. 1.5 hour lunch break?
Check post # 2 for your answer 
It’s Europe, they’re upset that they only get 3 months paid vacation a year, 5 years for maternity/paternity leave and have to wait till they’re 50 to retire with a pension and full benefits.*
*Just in case - I’m obviously taking the piss here 
seems like good planning and good timing.
War? Before breakfast? Preposterous!
War before lunch? Inconceivable!