From 12 to 19 January inclusive, the Armed Forces on the occasion of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as part of the airspace security operation “Daedalus 2024” intensified the Austrian airspace. To this end, a restricted flight area was established over parts of Vorarlberg and Tyrol.
Due to Davos’ geographical location close to the Austrian border, Switzerland requested in advance that the Austrian Air Force secure Austrian airspace for the duration of the World Economic Forum. More than 1,000 soldiers and 24 aircraft, twelve fixed-wing aircraft and twelve helicopters ensured the safety of the event. The tasks included patrol flights for surveillance, flights to identify airspace violations and transport flights. The pilots completed 350 flight hours in 190 missions.
“The high level of professionalism of our deployed soldiers and civilian staff guaranteed the success of this airspace security operation. Smooth cooperation across national borders is becoming increasingly important and is essential, especially in airspace surveillance and airspace security,” said Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner. During the airspace protection operation, there were six airspace violations caused by slow-flying aircraft. The pilots had disregarded the restricted flight area. A total of 299 civilian flight permits were issued and monitored in this area. Of these, 174 were issued by authorized aircraft such as helicopters from the Ministry of the Interior or the ÖAMTC. https://militaeraktuell.at/suchoi-bekommt-der-iran-doch-su-35-kampfjets/ The “Cross-border airspace surveillance” treaty with Switzerland was also fully applied as part of the airspace security operation. It enables the seamless pursuit of suspicious civilian aircraft without interfering with national sovereignty on neighboring territory. However, the use of weapons in the territory of the other state is expressly prohibited. The necessary procedures were practiced with Swiss aircraft in Austrian airspace and vice versa. A similar treaty with Germany is currently in the parliamentary process and has been assigned to the National Defense Committee for discussion.
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