Air security pact agreed with Austria

The government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Austria to improve security onboard international flights.

The cabinet said in a statement on Wednesday that the arrangement covered armed security personnel – so-called tigers – who maintain security during flights.

The memorandum with Austria comes less than two months before the kick-off of the European football championships, Euro 2008, co-hosted by the two alpine nations.

It covers legal aspects of the collaboration and calls on the departure country to inform the destination country of the details of the deployment of tigers.

The Swiss and Austrian offices responsible for training the special units have worked closely together for years, the authorities said.

The tigers are recruited from the Swiss police, border guards and army. Around 50 are deployed each month, but the authorities do not make public which routes they are used on.

The cabinet also empowered the justice ministry to reach similar agreements with the United States, Canada, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland and China.

Switzerland was one of the first countries to introduce armed security guards on flights. The move followed the hijacking of several passenger aircraft, including a Swissair plane, by Palestinian militants in 1970.