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Search and Rescue Service (SAR)

Rega's Eurocopter EC 145 and a Eurocopter EC 635 from the Swiss Air Force

Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein (FL) operate a joint Search and Rescue (SAR) service for aircraft and maritime vessels in distress. This service is under the jurisdiction of the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) and the Swiss Maritime Navigation Office (SMNO).

In the event that aircraft, ships or sea-going yachts registered in Switzerland/FL are reported missing, an emergency call is sent to the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) in Zurich, which is staffed around the clock.

Logo Cospas-Sarsat Most aircraft and maritime vessels are also equipped with an emergency tracking transmitter - such as an emergency locator transmitter (ELT), an emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or a personal locator beacon (PLB) - which in the event of an emergency sends out an SOS signal, often automatically. If satellites - such as those belonging to the international satellite system for search and rescue, Cospas-Sarsat - or aircraft flying over the area pick up this distress signal, they inform the RCC accordingly. The RCC Zurich is also contacted if a foreign aircraft reported missing might be in Swiss airspace.

Of the some 600 distress calls received by the RCC Zurich every year, around 98 per cent are false alarms, triggered by the carelessness or forgetfulness of pilots, captains or maintenance staff. The main task of the specialists at the RCC Zurich is to distinguish between genuine emergency calls and false alarms. Thanks to a large database containing numerous national and international contacts, false alarms can generally be swiftly identified. If, however, all signs point towards an aircraft being in distress within Swiss/FL territory, the RCC Zurich calls out the Swiss Air Force and keeps it continually updated with the latest findings.

The Swiss Air Force performs its search flights using a specially equipped Super Puma helicopter, which is on stand-by around the clock to carry out SAR missions. Other partners, such as the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), airport managers, air traffic control staff, cantonal police forces, Swiss Alpine Rescue and civil helicopters are, depending on the situation, also drafted in to assist with the search operation. If a ship that is registered in Switzerland/FL is in distress on the high seas, the RCC Zurich helps the foreign RCC responsible by providing it with information about the ship and its crew. The RCC Zurich itself does not coordinate any search and rescue operations abroad.

The procedures carried out at the RCC Zurich are based on the provisions laid down by the following bodies: