The Federal Office for Civil Aviation confirmed on Tuesday that the pilot would lose his licence for two months, but it stopped short of a permanent ban, saying the pilot’s aptitude was not in question.
The experienced pilot has already been fined of CHF800 ($800) and a criminal investigation against him is still pending.
The incident occurred last November, when a tourist from the United States on his first-ever hang glider trip as a passenger found himself not strapped in properly as the glider left the ground.
The pilot tried an emergency landing on a meadow outside the popular tourist resort of Interlaken in the Swiss Alps with the passenger hanging on to him.
The tourist suffered several injuries including a fracture to his right wrist shortly before the glider was able to land.
The video footage below of the frightening flight experience, published on YouTube, went viral.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Porrentruy mayor comments on Swiss pool ban controversy
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The mayor of the Swiss town of Porrentruy, which has been in the headlines in neighbouring France after restricting access to a pool to locals after a spate of anti-social behaviour, says he has received much support in recent days.
Swiss universities to release multilingual AI programme
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This summer researchers at Swiss universities will make available a large language model (LLM), an AI programme trained on vast amounts of data, developed on public infrastructure.
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After a one-year test phase, Zurich's cantonal police are introducing an online police station. Demand is high and the response from the public has been positive.
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The chic resort of St Moritz in southeastern Switzerland has registered "summer" as a trademark under the name "St Summer". The resort in canton Graubünden is launching a campaign to strengthen its summer business.
Swiss authorities detail progress on station access for people with reduced mobility
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The Federal Office of Transport (FOT) said on Wednesday that 43 stations had been adapted for people with reduced mobility last year. The vast majority of rail travellers (82%) now benefit from easier access to stations, it says.
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The prices of homes and apartments in Switzerland rose again in June. In the Lake Geneva region, prices of detached houses rose sharply. Meanwhile, in Zurich and its surrounding region the opposite trend was observed.
Crowded airports expected in Switzerland this summer
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Switzerland's main airports are preparing for a busy summer holiday period. A number of changes have been introduced to improve passenger flows that are expected to be well above average in July and August.
Zurich police arrest 38 football and hockey fans after violent incidents
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Zurich police have investigated 48 cases of fan violence at stadiums in the Swiss city since last autumn and arrested a total of 38 people, Swiss public television, SRF, reports.
Cashflow problems affect UN Human Rights Council activities
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Certain activities of the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council cannot be carried out in 2025-2026 due of the ongoing cash crisis affecting the UN.
Plaintiffs take Khaled Nezzar case to European Court of Human Rights
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Two plaintiffs in a serious war crimes case against former Algerian Defence Minister Khaled Nezzar have filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
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Search suspended for US speed-flyer missing in Alps
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Harrison FastExternal link, 28, from Boulder, Colorado, was speed-flying in the Jungfrau region in the Bernese Alps when the six-person group he was with lost sight of him and alerted the authorities. Christoph Gnägi, a spokesman for Bern cantonal police, said on Tuesday that extensive air and surface searchers were undertaken for three days. He…
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The aircraft had left the Bex airfield in canton Vaud and crashed around 3pm into the southern side of the Mont Blanc massif at Val Ferret, above Courmayeur. The wreckage was found at an altitude of around 2,500m by the Aosta Valley mountain rescue team after being alerted by hikers who had heard the crash.…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.