The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA, german: Bundesamt für Zivilluftfahrt; french: Office fédéral de l'aviation civile; it, Ufficio federale dell'aviazione civile) is the Swiss civil aviation agency, a division of the

Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications The Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC, german: Eidgenössisches Departement für Umwelt, Verkehr, Energie und Kommunikation, french: Département fédéral de l'environnement, des transports, de l'én ...

. Its head office is in

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

, and it has an office at

Zurich Airport Zürich Airport (), french: Aéroport de Zurich, it, Aeroporto di Zurigo, rm, Eroport da Turitg is the largest international airport of Switzerland and the airline hub, principal hub of Swiss International Air Lines. It serves Zürich, Switze ...

. It is within the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications responsible for the regulation and oversight of civil aviation. This includes personnel (air traffic controllers and pilots, among others), aircraft (including hot air balloons) and infrastructure (mainly airports). In addition, FOCA supports the international contacts of Switzerland in the field of aviation, such as the numerous air services agreements with other states. The FOCA also issues permits for hazardous shipments by air, this concerns mainly chemical hazardous substances such as ammunition, as well as biological or radioactive cargo. These authorizations are communicated to the

Swiss Air Force The Swiss Air Force (german: Schweizer Luftwaffe; french: Forces aériennes suisses; it, Forze aeree svizzere; rm, Aviatica militara svizra) is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on 31 July 1914 as a part of the army and ...

which then monitors the corresponding flight in Swiss airspace with the

FLORAKO FLORAKO is a Swiss radar system for military and civil aviation. The acronym stands for FLORIDA radar replacement air radar system capable communication system (in German: FLORIDA Radarersatz Radarluftlagesystem Kommunikationssystem) in the initia ...

air surveillance system. FOCA is also the contact point for the embassies of other nations, if they want to use Swiss airspace with a State aircraft. The Air Force modified all-diplomatic clearance requests that are filed outside the opening times of the FOCA. In 2004 FOCA had a budget of 75 million Swiss francs and had 194 employees. The headquarters of the FOCA is located together with the Federal Office of Transport, Federal Office of Energy, and the Federal Roads in the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications building in the Bern suburb of Ittigen.

Aircraft of FOCA

FOCA operates the federal government fleet of civil aircraft, based at

Bern Airport The Regional Aerodrome Bern-Belp , marketed as ''Bern Airport'',, french: Aéroport de Berne, it, Aeroporto di Berna, rm, Eroport da Berna officially referred to as in German, is a regional aerodrome serving Bern, the de facto capital of Switz ...

* 1

Beechcraft Baron The Beechcraft Baron is a light twin-engined piston aircraft designed and produced by Beechcraft. The aircraft was introduced in 1961. A low-wing monoplane developed from the Travel Air, it remains in production. Design and development The di ...

58 * 2 Robin DR 400 /500 * 1

Beechcraft Bonanza The Beechcraft Bonanza is an American general aviation aircraft introduced in 1947 by Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. The six-seater, single-engined aircraft is still being produced by Beechcraft and has been in continuous prod ...

A36 * 1

Agusta A109 The AgustaWestland AW109, originally the Agusta A109, is a lightweight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter designed and initially produced by the Italian rotorcraft manufacturer Agusta. It was the first all-Italian helicopter to ...

E * 1 Eurocopter AS 350B2 * 1 Agusta A119 * 1

Pilatus PC-12 The Pilatus PC-12 is a pressurized, single-engined, turboprop aircraft, manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland, since 1991. It was designed as a high-performance utility aircraft that incorporates a large aft cargo door in ad ...

In order to maintain independence in investigations relating to incidents in the aviation sector, the Air Accident Investigation Bureau is not part of FOCA. In November 2011 the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation (BFU) and the investigative body for trains and ships (UUS) were merged, forming the Swiss Accident Investigation Branch (SUST). FOCA operates the aircraft of SUST, based at

Payerne Airport Payerne Airport is a military airfield of the Swiss Air Force north of Payerne in Switzerland, located approximately halfway between Lausanne and Bern. History In 2004 the International Air Show Air04 was held at Payerne. On 8 July 2010, Pay ...

. * 1

K * 1

Former Aircraft

* FOCA ** HB-POP

Piper PA-46 The Piper PA-46 Malibu and Matrix, now known as the M-Class, are a family of American light aircraft manufactured by Piper Aircraft of Vero Beach, Florida. The aircraft is powered by a single engine and has the capacity for one pilot and five ...

- 350P Malibu Mirage 2017 sold ** HB-FAO

Pilatus PC-6 The Pilatus PC-6 Porter is a single-engined STOL utility aircraft designed by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. First flown in 1959, the PC-6 was produced at Pilatus Flugzeugwerke in Stans, Switzerland. It has been built in both piston engine- an ...

from 1963 to 1966. This is the second prototype of the PC-6, which was damaged on 2 June 1966 and repaired by the

Pilatus Aircraft Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. is an aerospace manufacturer located in Stans, Switzerland. In June 2016, the company employed 1,905 people. The company has mostly produced aircraft for niche markets, in particular short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraf ...

and converted to PC-6/H2 was sold to the

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is an office-level agency in the federal administration of Switzerland, and a part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Together with other federal offices, SDC is responsible for o ...

.S / N 338
pc-6 .com. ** HB-XCN Sud-Aviation SA.318C Alouette II in service from 1968 until the crash on 28 September 1992 in

Arth-Goldau Arth-Goldau railway station (german: Bahnhof Arth-Goldau) is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Schwyz and municipality of Arth. The station is located in the centre of the village of Goldau, which forms part of Arth. The station is an i ...

. ** HB-XDE

Aérospatiale Alouette III The Aérospatiale Alouette III (, ''Lark''; company designations SA 316 and SA 319) is a single-engine, light utility helicopter developed by France, French aircraft company Sud Aviation. During its production life, it proved to be a relatively p ...

in the service from 1970 until its crash on 13 October 1998 near the Blinnenhorn. ** HB-XZM

helicopter (V-276), as HB-XZM between 1 June and 30 October 1993 at the FOCA during the full revision of HB- XDE. ** HB-ZBL

, former Helicopter of the Swiss Air Force (V-279), used between 1999 and 2005, afterwards used as a spare part dispenser. ** HB-XQE

E, from 1998 to 2016 on duty, afterwards sold. * SUST ** HB-XWC

K, purchased from the

REGA The Rega is a river in north-western Poland, flowing into the Baltic Sea. It is the country's 24th longest river, with a total length of 188 km and a catchment area of 2,767 km2.Cirrus SR22 The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine four- or five-seat composite aircraft built from 2001 by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota. It is a development of the Cirrus SR20, with a larger wing, higher fuel capacity, and a more powerful, 310-horsep ...

*HB-KMP

Cirrus SR22 The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine four- or five-seat composite aircraft built from 2001 by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota. It is a development of the Cirrus SR20, with a larger wing, higher fuel capacity, and a more powerful, 310-horsep ...

*HB-LZH

Diamond DA42 The Diamond DA42 Twin Star is a four seat, twin engine, propeller-driven airplane developed and manufactured by the People's Republic of China, Chinese-owned, Austria-based company Diamond Aircraft Industries. It was Diamond's first twin engin ...

*HB-EHJ

Fieseler Fi 156 The Fieseler Fi 156 ''Storch'' (, " stork") was a German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II. Production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market. It was notable for its excellent short fi ...

Zentralstelle für Historisches Armeematerial/ Center for Historical Armaments *HB-1700

Schleicher ASK 21 The ASK 21 is a glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) two-seat glider aircraft with a T-tail. The ASK 21 is designed primarily for beginner instruction, but is also suitable for cross-country flying and aerobatics, aerobatic instruction. Design and de ...

*HB-ZSN Eurocopter AS 350 *HB-ZSO Eurocopter AS 350

References

External links

* {{Authority control Civil aviation in Switzerland

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

Government of Switzerland Swiss Air Force

Civil aviation Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military and non-state aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work ...

Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications Aviation organisations based in Switzerland

Aircraft of FOCA

Former Aircraft

See also

References

External links