Drones are not allowed within 5km of airports in Switzerland.
Keystone
A private drone and a business jet came dangerously close to each other over the Swiss capital of Bern. An investigation has been opened into the incident.
This content was published on
1 minute
SDA-ATS/ac
According to the preliminary report published by the Swiss Transport Safety Investigation Board (STSB) on Wednesday, a Bombardier BD 700 business aircraft was en route on June 2 from Berne-Belp airport to the Turkish city of Antalya.
Shortly after take-off, the pilots noticed that a drone was approaching their aircraft. The risky scenario occurred at an altitude of 1200 meters. The report does not specify how close the remotely operated vehicle approached the aircraft. The STSB does not provide information on the drone pilot at fault, nor on the size and type of the drone. Investigations are ongoing.
It is estimated that there are around 100,000 drones in private possession in Switzerland. The airspace extending 5km around airports are no-fly zones for drones. This is not the first incident of near-collision with a drone. Last year, a drone nearly collided with an Airbus A330 at Zurich Airport. Such near-mishaps are becoming more commonplace, growing six-fold to 30 in 2016 up from just five in 2010.
More
More
Switzerland to introduce Europe’s first drone traffic control system
This content was published on
The system aims to prevent accidents involving drones in Swiss skies. A tests phase will start in June 2018, reported the Swiss News Agency on Monday.
This content was published on
The Ethos Foundation recommends that shareholders vote against all compensation-related items at the Annual General Meeting on March 7.
Top Swiss firms close to reaching gender quota in boards
This content was published on
The proportion of women on the boards of directors of the fifty largest listed companies in Switzerland currently stands at 28%.
Swiss committee wants to end government resignations during legislative term
This content was published on
Members of the Federal Council should no longer be able to leave office before the end of their term, according to a House of Representatives committee.
Swiss government seat: Ritter and Pfister nominated to succeed Amherd
This content was published on
Markus Ritter from St Gallen and Martin Pfister from Zug were officially nominated by the Centre Party on Friday to succeed Defence Minister Viola Amherd.
Top Swiss court rejects Russian request for administrative tax assistance
This content was published on
There is currently no reason to transmit banking information to the Russian Federation, the Swiss Federal Court has ruled.
After strike by radiologists, doctors demonstrate in Bern
This content was published on
Following a strike by radiology technicians in Fribourg, doctors, vets, dentists and chiropractors expressed their frustration on Friday outside parliament in the Swiss capital.
This content was published on
The use of drones for disaster relief – whether to deliver cargo, map terrain or assess structural damage – is growing, but fraught with challenges.
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.