Is Flight Operations in Kägiswil Coming to an End?
For 54 years, Kägiswil Airfield has been operating under an indefinite operating permit as a civilian airfield for pilot training and recreational flying—now the Federal Office of Civil Aviation wants to put an end to this, and it has done so in no uncertain terms: «The FOCA is denying the Obwalden Airfield Cooperative’s request to convert the former Kägiswil military airfield into a civilian airfield.»
To date, armasuisse has made the airfield available to the FGOW through a building lease agreement. This fixed-term agreement remains in effect until the end of September 2026. According to the FOCA’s press release, armasuisse will now work with FGOW to arrange for the orderly return of the airfield, as provided for in the current building lease agreement by January 2027.
The Swiss Aero Club, which has supported the Obwalden Airfield Cooperative (FGOW) for years in its fight to keep the civil airfield open, is disappointed by the federal authorities’ conduct. In a statement, the FGOW announced that it would appeal the FOCA's decision to the Federal Administrative Court. There is also surprise at the Aero-Club of Central Switzerland, who has held an operating license for the Kägiswil airfield since 1972.
That's still a federal agency for preventing flights…. Get rid of it….!
This cannot be allowed to happen. Switzerland already has so few airfields! Some say it’s a rich man’s sport, but it has only come to be seen that way because Skyguide, BAZL, and others have gradually imposed and then raised costs. The UK has many «unlicensed» airstrips that make flying fun and affordable, so why not Switzerland? Landing fees and flight plans aren’t even charged for in the U.S. because federal, regional, and local governments recognize the value of having a homegrown industry that supports aviation—not just pilots, but mechanics, electricians, and interior fit-out specialists. We’re lucky to have Pilatus Flugzeugwerk, but what happened to the FFA in Altenrhein—and I’m sure there are many others. Support the industry from the grassroots up!
The FOCA is a top-notch organization dedicated to preventing flights. With over 300 employees, about 50 lawyers, yet fewer and fewer aircraft and licenses. On top of that, there are ever-increasing requirements and regulations. Accident reports—whose findings are actually clear as early as the day of the accident—take years, if ever, to be published. Or take the approval to build a factory on the runway, as in Raron. Why hasn’t anyone even taken this institution to court? No, we just wait until general aviation is brought to its knees, just as former Federal Councilor Leuenberger envisioned.