Airborne conflicts (Airprox)

What this relates to:

The distance between aircraft, given their positions and velocity, is such that their safety is potentially threatened. When this situation occurs from the perspective of a pilot or air traffic controller, they refer to it as a near collision or Airprox. If the near collision cannot be anticipated and averted, a mid-air collision occurs.
Whether an airborne conflict is considered an Airprox or a separation minima infringement (SMI) depends on the type of airspace and the flight rules the two aircraft are subject to. The definitions of both, an Airprox and an SMI are not linked to the actual or perceived air conflict.

Example:

A pilot is transporting passengers around the Alps in a light aircraft. Suddenly there is a helicopter flying directly towards her. The two pilots manage to avoid each other at the last second; they fly past each other with just 20 metres between them.

Remarks on the 2024 figures:

In 2024, pilots and air traffic control providers reported a total of 88 Airprox incidents, another increase in the number of reports compared to previous years. However, there were fewer incidents during which safety was not guaranteed or that involved a collision risk. Conflicts between pilots flying under instrument flight rules (IFR) and visual flight rules (VFR) decreased by 8%; relative to IFR movements in Switzerland, they fell by a further 12%. As most of these conflicts occurred in mixed traffic in class Echo (E) airspace, the FOCA will launch an awareness campaign at the beginning of 2025 about the rules in ECHO airspace.

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Last modification 12.05.2025