The Swiss air force guided a small propeller aircraft without radio communication to Italian airspace on Sunday. A flight without radio contact is always a potential danger for the public, the army said.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/ts
Português
pt
Avião holandês escoltado para fora do espaço aéreo suíço
At 10.53am the aircraft, which had taken off from Kempen in the Netherlands, crossed the German border near Waldshut, the Swiss army said in a statement on Sunday. Switzerland had been informed 12 minutes earlier by the French authorities that an aircraft without radio contact was in the airspace over Colmar, in eastern France.
At 11.01am two F/A-18 fighter jets took off from Payerne in canton Vaud, the army said. The patrol reached the Dutch aircraft a short time later over Samedan in southeast Switzerland and successfully got the pilot to establish radio contact. The aircraft was eventually escorted to Italian airspace west of Lake Garda. This “hot mission” resulted in sonic booms.
More
More
Swiss Air Force finally on call around the clock
This content was published on
The Swiss Air Force will be on standby 24/7 from Thursday, when two F/A-18 fighter jets will be ready to take off, fully armed, within 15 minutes.
The army assumed it was a question of pilot error, army spokesman Daniel Reist told the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA. However, a flight without radio contact is always associated with dangers for the population, he said. For example, air traffic control can’t tell the pilot if he is flying too low. “It’s important to intervene quickly so that there’s no accident,” Reist said.
The aircraft in question is a Pilatus PC12, a single-engine, multi-role aircraft. The reason for the flight is unknown.
More
More
Wafer-thin majority approves new fighter jets
This content was published on
By a margin of just 9,000 votes, Swiss citizens have given a cautious all-clear for a multi-billion purchase of new fighter jets for the air force.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
Ecological status of Swiss streams insufficient according to study
This content was published on
Pesticide use and obstructions of waterways have a particularly negative impact on sensitive organisms, completely absent in 70% of streams analysed.
Train line between Brig and Domodossola interrupted
This content was published on
One day after a derailment approximately 15 kilometres from the Swiss border, BLS is running buses for passengers between Preglia and Domodossola, in Italy.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
This content was published on
The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
This content was published on
The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
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.
Read more
More
Report: Swiss Pilatus planes used for attacks in Afghanistan
This content was published on
Swiss-built Pilatus aircraft have been involved in attacks in Afghanistan, according to a joint investigation by a network of Swiss journalists.
Pilatus allowed to resume activity in India despite corruption probe
This content was published on
The Indian government has partially lifted the ban on commercial dealings with the Swiss aircraft manufacturer Pilatus after a freeze in July.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
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.