Safety
The term safety encompasses all measures, processes, and information that serve to ensure the safe operation of civil aviation, based on ICAO and EASA regulations. This includes safety and risk management, the analysis of hazards and risks, and the continuous exchange of safety-related findings. An important component of this are the reporting channels: incidents and observations must be reported to the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) and, depending on the outcome of the incident, also to the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (SUST) – a central basis for systematic learning from incidents.
Swiss State Safety Programme (SSP)
Das BAZL legt auf Grund der geltenden nationalen und internationalen Vorschriften die Rahmenbedingungen für eine sichere und nachhaltige Zivilluftfahrt in der Schweiz fest. Dazu gehört auch die Publikation eines Sicherheitsprogrammes, des State-Safety-Programms (SSP), gemäss den Vorgaben der Internationalen Zivilluftfahrtorganisation (ICAO).
Safety Risk Management
Safety and risk management (SRM) is a steering and control tool which enables a continually high safety standard in the key areas of flight aviation technology, flight operation and infrastructures to be maintained.
Channels for occurrence reporting
In accordance with Art. 20 ANA, all incidents, serious incidents and accidents involving manned and unmanned aircraft falling under Art. 4 Regulation (EU) No. 376/2014 must be reported via the reporting portal to the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) within 72 hours of notification. The FOCA has produced a guide for general aviation (GA) on how to use the reporting portal.
Safety initiatives
At staysafe.aero, the Federal Office of Civil Aviation presents its most important safety initiatives in the field of general aviation to promote safe aviation in Switzerland. A central element is the Safety Awareness Notification Data (SAND)—short, practical tips that draw attention to current risks or safety-related observations and support aviation participants in prevention.
Safety topics
This page provides an overview of safety-related incidents in Swiss civil aviation. These include accidents and serious incidents that provide important insights for improving flight safety. A special section is devoted to Airprox reports, which describe situations where aircraft come dangerously close to each other and provide valuable information about potential risk factors in airspace. In addition, the section explains the organization and procedures of the Search and Rescue (SAR) service, which is responsible for the rapid search and rescue of missing or distressed aircraft. Overall, the page conveys how these elements together contribute to the high level of safety in Swiss aviation.
Safety initiatives
Recommendations (SAND)
SAND is an acronym for “Safety Awareness Notification Data” used by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) to denote safety-related information that provides instructions and recommendations to the civil aviation community.
Safety Recommendations and Advice
Two aircraft fly too close to each other, several times in the same airspace. Or an aircraft crashes. These are examples of the type of cases the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB) investigates. If safety failings are found, the STSB final report contains safety recommendations. Its task is to check whether recommendations are implemented and minimise the safety deficit.
BAZL Stay Safe
Safety Promotion für die allgemeine Luftfahrt
Safety topics
Swiss Aviation Safety and Operations Conference SASOC
The Federal Office of Civil Aviation held the first Swiss Aviation Safety and Operations Conference (SASOC) in May 2022 - a conference to promote and ensure the exchange of information and knowledge within the aviation industry in Switzerland.
Accidents and serious incidents
Accidents and serious incidents must be reported to the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) as quickly as possible. Those required to do so are aviation personnel, the air police agencies and local authorities.
Aircraft proximities
In accordance with Swiss and international legislation, certain aviation incidents that are associated with air traffic control services have to be reported to the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) and to the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB) using an ATIR (Air Traffic Incident Report) form. Investigating individual incidents is a core task of safety management systems operated by the stakeholders in the civil aviation sector. Serious incidents also have to be investigated by the SAIB.
Laser attacks: dangerous and illegal
Attacks against pilots by dazzling them with laser beams are on the increase. Such attacks are illegal and represent a serious safety risk. Perpetrators of laser attacks against aircraft now face criminal charges.
