Switzerland approved only four of eleven U.S. requests to overfly its territory en-route to Iran between 5 and 23 March, the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) confirmed to news agency Keystone-SDA in a story carried by Anadolu on 1 April. One further request was withdrawn; the rest were denied because they conflicted with Switzerland’s strict neutrality legislation. The refusals come amid intensified U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran and rising geopolitical tension that has already caused airlines to reroute civilian traffic away from Iranian airspace. FOCA data also show that Switzerland rejected a similar request from the United Arab Emirates. While the decisions concern military rather than commercial flights, they underscore how Swiss neutrality can affect overflight rights and air-traffic flows. Aviation analysts note that any spill-over restrictions applied to civilian charter flights could force carriers to add fuel stops or adjust schedules, impacting cargo and crew-rotation planning. Corporate security advisers recommend monitoring NOTAMs and flight-planning bulletins, because last-minute military movements often trigger short-notice airspace closures that can cascade into passenger-flight delays at Zurich and Geneva.
Source: Anadolu Agency
