From 21 to 25 January, the Austrian Armed Forces stepped up their security of Austrian airspace on the occasion of the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland). To this end, a restricted flight area was established over parts of Vorarlberg and Tyrol.
More than 1,100 soldiers were deployed. During the airspace security operation, a helicopter violated airspace. The pilot had ignored the flight restriction area and his identity was established. A total of 141 civilian flight movements were carried out and monitored in this area. Of these, 94 were carried out by authorized aircraft, such as helicopters of the Ministry of the Interior or the ÖAMTC. A further 47 aircraft were authorized to fly in and through the airspace by the national airspace monitoring center.
More than 1,100 soldiers and 23 aircraft, 12 fixed-wing aircraft and 11 helicopters ensured the safety of the event. The tasks included patrol flights for surveillance, flights to identify airspace violations and transport flights. Due to Davos’ geographical location close to the Austrian border, Switzerland made a political request in advance for the Austrian Air Force to secure the airspace for the duration of the World Economic Forum.
