Environmental Concerns Lead Swiss to Vote on Military Flights Ban
Commercial aviation is coming under increasing environmental pressure due to its high emissions, noise and rapid growth. Militarily aviation in Switzerland is now starting to feel some of the same pressures.
Swiss hotel owner and environmentalist Walter Knutti has become tired of the noise and concerned by unnecessary emissions from military aircraft on training flights from the nearby airbase of Meiringen. Taking action, Knutti has collected enough signatures to force the issue to a popular vote - under the Swiss system of direct democracy voters have a right to challenge parliamentary laws or pass constitutional amendments by collecting a minimum number of signatures to force a ballot.
Under Knutti’s initiative, Swiss voters will decide next month if military jets should be banned from tourism zones.
The move has been criticised by the Swiss Defence Minister Samuel Schmid, who said “If a country cannot guarantee the security of its own airspace, it cannot carry out the duties the law requires.”
Despite being a neutral country with friendly neighbours, the Swiss Air Force plan to increase fighter aircraft operations by over 2,000 flights per year.
Source: Swissinfo
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Whaaa lalala yeeah, cummon yo SwiZ!
This is really good. I remember a funny occasion when the Blue Angels were performing in Seattle and I didn’t know about it. They flew right over my house, which was all the closer to them for being on a hill. I nearly wet myself. Those things make a lot of noise!
Also, San Francisco is considering banning them as well. Think what might happen if there were an air collision over downtown. It would endanger a lot of people.
Here in South Korea, I think we’re a long way away from such legislation. It’s pretty common to see fighter jets thundering through town.
Huge amounts of fuel are wasted, and good electronic surveillance is underfunded by a military ‘Super - Jock’ flyboy image the airforces of the world enjoy at the expense of the common folk. Good military protection is provided by missiles and satellite observation - why are we still paying for the much slower jet reconnaissance crap? They are too slow to change anything! Far too many passenger flights are under booked. If a plane is used at all, it must have high occupancy. Fewer flights due to high oil prices will force this efficiency upon us, and only a few uber-rich oil barons will be able to afford private jets. We will pay with a fallen economy if we don’t smarten up and improve our efficiency and stop wasting the precious little oil thqt is left, pretending we are at war or pretending we are more important than the whole of society!