When a plane bound for Rome, Italy was diverted to Geneva, Switzerland by a hijacker, it was French planes that escorted it into the country, not Swiss ones.

When a plane bound for Rome, Italy was diverted to Geneva, Switzerland by a hijacker, it was French planes that escorted it into the country, not Swiss ones.

That’s because the incident occurred at about 4:30 in the morning, and the Swiss Air Force doesn’t clock in until 8 am.

A spokesman for the agency said they do keep track of what’s going on around the clock, they just don’t step in outside of regular office hours.

Their airspace isn’t left entirely vulnerable. They’ve made arrangements with French and Italian forces and both are allowed to enter Swiss air space.

So, when an Ethiopian Air co-pilot decided to take over the plane during the off-hours in an effort to flee to Switzerland and gain asylum there, Italian planes were the first to respond.

They escorted the craft for awhile until the French fighter pilots took over for the diversion to Geneva.

Said the Swiss representative, "It's a question of budget and staffing.”

It was noted that the country does plan to beef up its operating hours, but won’t likely be a 24/7 service until 2020.