An Ethiopian Airlines co-pilot hijacked his own plane, bound for Rome, and flew it to Geneva where he is now seeking asylum.

The Co-Pilot, an Ethiopian, seized control of the Boeing 767 when the pilot went to the toilet.

Flight ET702 with 202 passengers and crew on board had taken off from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

After landing in the Swiss city at about 5am, the co-pilot used a rope to climb down from a cockpit window.

He surrendered to police and asked for asylum in Switzerland.

Officials said no one on the flight was injured.

Geneva airport chief executive Robert Deillon told reporters the suspect “wanted asylum in Switzerland” and “that’s the motivation of the hijacking”.

Swiss federal authorities are now investigating the incident and are set to press charges that could carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

The pilot is reported to have issued a mayday as the plane flew over Sudan.

FlightRadar 24 – an app for mobile devices – showed the flight circling over Geneva several times before landing.

The Boeing 767-300 plane had 20 minutes of fuel left when it landed.

Journalists, in Geneva, said the airport had not yet opened when the plane hit the runway – and passengers had to wait until it did before disembarking.

She said: “It must have been a very terrifying experience for the passengers on board.

“It seems to have been the case that passengers had to wait until the airport opened. Happily there are no injuries but it must have been a very, very frightening experience.”

Geneva International Airport opened at 7am and is now operating as normal but there have been cancellations and delays.

Ethiopian Airlines said it was making immediate arrangements to fly its customers to their intended destinations.

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