Unterägeri-Oberägeri,26.10.2016

Planes taking off from Zurich to fly over Aegeri Valley

Under certain weather conditions, such as fog and north-easterly winds, planes taking off from Zurich-Kloten will in future fly over the Aegeri Valley rather than over Zug and Steinhausen as at present.
 
The change relates to planes taking off in the day time for destinations south of the Alps. In future, under the afore-mentioned weather conditions, planes will fly straight ahead after take-off and no longer make a curve to the left. According to the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (BAZL), this means that air traffic safety will be increased.
 
Fortunately, this should not mean any major increase in noise levels. As Gianna Bomio, the general secretary of the Zug Cantonal Department of Economic Development, explained, “Air traffic will continue to be noticed but not to any greater extent than before.” Furthermore, this change in flight path only applies to small and medium-sized aircraft and the number of such planes flying over the canton would not increase, either.
 
At present, some 14,400 planes fly over Zug and Steinhausen immediately after take-off. Once these changes are in force, this number is expected to decrease to 12,800, with 1,600 flying over the Aegeri Valley. Bomio went on to explain that, from a legal point of view, there was nothing the canton could do to change anything, since BAZL stipulations with regard to the number of flights both in the day time and at night would still be adhered to.
 
Josef Ribary, the mayor of Unterägeri, was not unduly perturbed by the news about the planned changes in flight-paths, which, according to BAZL, are not expected to come into force before 2020 at the earliest.