WORLD> Europe
Swiss air force may have to train in foreign airspace
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-14 09:14

GENEVA -- Switzerland's air force may have to train over neighboring countries to reduce noise in popular tourist regions, the Swissinfo news website reported on Monday.

The Swiss air force needs to do 22,000 take-offs and landings every year, and residents near the airfields have long complained about the noise the jets make, according to the report.

Defense Minister Samuel Schmid on Monday discussed ways with canton officials from Lucerne, Bern, Vaud and Valais -- areas with military airstrips -- on how to arrange the training each year.

The Defense Ministry also said that it would wait until November 7 to collect comments from areas in question before deciding how to deploy fighter jets for training exercises next year.

Flying over foreign airspace may be an option, defense officials were quoted by Swissinfo as saying.

Next summer Swiss pilots plan to participate in training manoeuvres over northern Germany, according to the report.