Debate Magazine
What is particularly annoying about aeroplane hijackers is when they hijack a flight en route from A to B; force the pilot to land in C instead; and then demand safe passage to D. Why don't they just get on a 'plane to D in the first place; or having hijacked it, ask the pilot to land in D instead of C? From The Evening Standard: An Ethiopian Airlines jet with 202 passengers and crew on board was hijacked today by its co-pilot. The 30-year-old man landed the Addis Ababa to Rome flight safely in Geneva before climbing out of a window on a rope and asking for asylum. So at least he landed where he wanted to end up, but... a) Is Switzerland more generous with asylum than Italy, where the 'plane was headed anyway? b) Why didn't he just get himself on a flight to Switzerland in the first place? Geneva's quite a bit further than Rome, so he might have run out of fuel, which would have been embarrassing for all concerned. c) Why the window/rope stunt? Why didn't he just go down the stairs with everybody else?
