Switzerland adopts EU laws on drones and post-Brexit aviation

Flights from the UK via Switzerland will remain subject to existing regulations. © Keystone / Christian Beutler

Switzerland has taken over a European Union security framework laying out new rules for drones. This also guarantees the continuation of aviation activities between Bern and London after Brexit.

The new rules on aviation security, safety and traffic management agreed by the Swiss-EU Joint Committee on Air Transport will come into force on September 1, according to a statementExternal link from the Federal Office of Civil Aviation released on Thursday.

The new aviation security plan includes several EU air safety regulations that also cover drones. Starting in June 2020, drones that weigh at least 250 grams or have a camera traveling in European airspace must be registered. Member states of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) can assign responsibility for certification, monitoring or compliance control to other member states or the agency itself.

The agreement also covers aviation activities with the UK following Brexit. Flights from the United Kingdom that land at Swiss airports and continue to another destination will remain subject to existing regulations. No additional security controls are expected to be imposed on UK travelers transiting via Switzerland on such flights following Brexit.

The new regulation also guarantees that Swiss manufacturers of aircraft material will be able to continue production and airlines will be able to continue using aircraft material according to European Union laws.

This reduces the risks of production disruptions that could impact the air transport sector and have serious economic consequences, the civil aviation office wrote in a statement.

The agreed security framework also includes additional measures to prevent terror attacks such as revised background checks and the use of new explosive detection equipment.