A total of 46,300 remote pilots in Switzerland acquired certificates of competence for drones in the past year, according to an announcement by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) on

Thursday. This achievement indicates the successful implementation of the European drone regulation in Switzerland, with the country having adopted EU drone regulations for a year now. Most remote pilots seeking to operate drones in Switzerland must undergo registration and mandatory training.

The European drone regulations have brought changes to authorization procedures for specific types of drone operations. FOCA reports that nearly 70,000 individuals or companies have registered on the corresponding platform during this period.

Although it is still early to assess the impact on air traffic safety, the primary goal is to enhance the safety level of Swiss airspace continually. In this regard, FOCA recommends that operators without certification should at least complete the free online training course to familiarize themselves with the regulations governing drone use.

In the upcoming year, FOCA aims to raise awareness among remote pilots about the significance of reporting safety-related incidents in air traffic. All civil aviation stakeholders, including drone operators, are obligated to report such incidents to contribute to overall aviation safety. Photo by Martin Abegglen, Wikimedia commons.