Last-ditch talks between Switzerland and Germany to end aviation row

Moritz Leuenberger (right) and Kurt Bodewig are meeting on Monday swissinfo.ch

The transport minister, Moritz Leuenberger, is holding talks in Berlin with his German counterpart, Kurt Bodewig, in a bid to break the deadlock in negotiations over flight paths and noise pollution. The Germans have threatened sanctions that could badly harm Switzerland's main airport of Zurich-Kloten.

Germany says it expects Switzerland to present new proposals for ending the long running dispute.

Senior Swiss officials have raised expectations that the deadlock can be broken. But André Auer of the Federal Aviation Authority said the talks in Berlin would be very difficult for Switzerland.

“I sincerely hope that it will be possible to find a way out of the situation. But the German side is very strict on what they want from Switzerland. The room for manoeuvre is not very large,” Auer told swissinfo.

However, he says Switzerland will restate its willingness to reconsider the landing system and present proposals for putting road traffic onto rail. He added that Switzerland was expecting some concessions in exchange for its signing of an air transport agreement with the European Union.

Germany wants the Swiss authorities to drastically reduce the number of planes using airspace over southwestern Germany on route to and from Kloten airport. They are also seeking a ban on nighttime flights and a general ban on weekend flights.

Currently, more than 150,000 aircraft a year use flight paths over Germany to reach Kloten airport and moves are underway to extend the airport to accommodate a further expected increase in flights. Berlin wants to see a reduction to 80,000 a year.

Switzerland says it has offered a series of compromises. But several rounds of negotiations over past few months have ended in failure.

Germany, a year ago, announced that it would let an air transport agreement with Switzerland lapse by the end of May. Officials in Berlin have threatened to fine pilots flying through airspace over southern Germany.

André Auer said Switzerland would like to find a fair solution for all parties involved. The population in southern Germany and Switzerland have voiced concern over noise and other environmental issues amid an increasing number of flights using Zurich as a hub.

The Swiss aviation authorities expect the row with Germany to escalate, if Monday’s talks in Berlin fail to end the deadlock. Auer said he would regret very much if Switzerland’s excellent relations with neighbouring Germany were strained.

But Auer made it clear that Switzerland was prepared to get tough: “We would use all legal means to fight possible sanctions in court. We would also use the possibility of bringing the matter before an international arbitration court.”

by Urs Geiser