Switzerland Adopts EU Drone Rules

A European Union security framework regarding rules for drone flying has been taken over by Switzerland which has laid out new rules for autonomous flights. This new development also guarantees the continuation of aviation activities between Bern and London after Brexit.

According to a statement from the Federal Office of Civil Aviation released on last week, the new rules on aviation security, safety and traffic management agreed by the Swiss-EU Joint Committee on Air Transport will be implemented from 1st September onwards. The new aviation security plan includes several EU air safety regulations which also cover drones. Some important features include:

• Starting in June 2020, drones that weigh at least 250 grams or have a camera traveling/ airborne 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 agreed security framework also includes additional measures to prevent terror attacks such as revised background checks and the use of new explosive detection equipment.

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 as per existing European Union laws. This will reduce the risks of production disruptions which might impact the air transport sector and have serious economic consequences, the civil aviation office wrote in a statement.