The Federal Office of Civil Aviation, or FOCA, refers to the Swiss government's department responsible for overseeing and regulating civil aviation matters.
Switzerland's Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) Regulates and Promotes Safe Drone Operations
The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA), the national aviation authority of Switzerland, plays a crucial role in regulating and overseeing civil aviation activities, including drone operations. FOCA ensures that drone activities comply with national laws and international aviation standards while fostering innovation in drone technology[1].
Key roles of FOCA in Swiss drone regulation include:
- Regulation and Oversight: FOCA creates and enforces operational rules for both drone and manned flights, ensuring safe integration into Swiss airspace[1].
- Certification: It certifies drone operators and pilots, and approves aircraft airworthiness, including issuing operational authorizations for complex activities such as Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) flights[1].
- Airspace Management: FOCA coordinates with air navigation service providers to allow drones to safely share airspace with manned aviation[1].
- Operational Declarations: Drone operators must submit operational declarations to FOCA before conducting flights under specific “standard scenarios,” which outline risk levels and technical requirements (e.g., drone classes C3, C5, C6 for different flight types)[3].
- Registration: FOCA manages the registration of drone operators via the dLIS platform, requiring operators to register, provide identification and insurance details, and mark their drones with an official UAS operator number[5].
- Innovation Support: FOCA actively supports research and commercial drone innovation through pilot projects and controlled testing environments, balancing regulation with the development of advanced drone applications[1].
Through pilot programs and controlled test corridors, FOCA enables innovators to trial advanced concepts under real-world conditions while maintaining safety oversight. For instance, a Swiss drone mapping company can apply to FOCA for operational authorization to conduct BVLOS flights for large-scale infrastructure inspections[2].
Drone pilots and companies operating in Switzerland must follow FOCA guidelines to legally conduct flights, especially for commercial or beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations. Basic flights under the open category do not require FOCA approval from recreational drone pilots[3].
FOCA operates under the Swiss Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy, and Communications (DETEC). It works closely with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to align Swiss drone regulations with European standards[1].
FOCA collaborates with research institutions, startups, and established aerospace companies to test new drone technologies. Its efforts focus on automated traffic management systems, BVLOS delivery networks, and AI-driven inspection tools[1]. The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) actively supports the growth of Switzerland's advanced drone ecosystem.
References: [1] Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA). (n.d.). Drone regulation. Retrieved from https://www.bazl.admin.ch/bazl/en/home/drones/index.html [2] Flyeye.io. (n.d.). About. Retrieved from https://flyeye.io/about [3] Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA). (2020). Operational declarations. Retrieved from https://www.bazl.admin.ch/bazl/en/home/drones/operational-declarations/index.html [4] Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA). (n.d.). Registration and licensing. Retrieved from https://www.bazl.admin.ch/bazl/en/home/drones/registration-and-licensing/index.html [5] Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA). (n.d.). Drone regulations and laws. Retrieved from https://www.bazl.admin.ch/bazl/en/home/drones/drone-regulations-and-laws/index.html
- FOCA, the Swiss aviation authority, fosters innovation in data-and-cloud-computing technology through pilot projects and controlled testing environments for advanced drone applications.
- Switzerland's Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) actively supports the growth of the nation's data-and-cloud-computing technology ecosystem, particularly in the development of automated traffic management systems, BVLOS delivery networks, and AI-driven inspection tools for drones.
