Kägiswil Airport: Another „rushed“ exercise by the authorities

The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) announced today in a press release that it will close the Kägiswil airfield as of October 1, 2026—allegedly only temporarily. This makes it increasingly clear that the authorities want to halt flight operations at Kägiswil Airport by any means necessary, regardless of legal requirements and pending court proceedings. The Obwalden Airport Cooperative (FGOW) is fighting back against this action, which raises questions regarding the rule of law.

For months, certain cantonal and national authorities have been trying to close the Kägiswil airfield so that they can establish the Swiss Air Rescue Service (REGA) there as soon as possible. The Federal Office of Civil Aviation’s (FOCA) latest attempt involves using a simple press release—that is, without any apparent legal basis or a formal order—to ban civilian flight operations at Kägiswil Airport from October 1 through November 20, 2026. Although the ban is ostensibly intended to be only temporary, the official press release explicitly refers to it as being in effect „for the time being.“ This raises concerns that the FOCA is deliberately creating a fait accompli in this manner, one that will be nearly impossible to reverse later on. Another troubling aspect of this approach is that the FOCA has not granted the FGOW the right to be heard, but has instead, once again, taken the organization by surprise in its communications, despite it being a party directly affected.

Given the legal situation, the FOCA’s actions appear to be a „rushed“ attempt to create a fait accompli before the matter is resolved in court: First, the appeals filed with the Federal Administrative Court have suspensive effect. Second, the civil airfield operating permit from 1972 remains in effect at Kägiswil Airport. And third, the FGOW is currently in the process of reaching an agreement with armasuisse on a new building lease agreement, which is also in line with the currently valid SIL object sheet.

In the FGOW’s view, the FOCA’s actions—through which it seeks to close the Kägiswil civil airport by any means necessary even before the pending court proceedings have been concluded—are unlawful. The staking out of the REGA project, cited as the alleged reason for the temporary closure of the airfield, could also serve merely as a pseudo-justification, since, on the one hand, staking out a site at airfields is not legally required, and, on the other hand, there is no guarantee that the survey stakes disrupting flight operations will actually be removed after the objection period expires—specifically, November 20, 2026. The FGOW will therefore continue to fight for the preservation of the Kägiswil airfield as an institution of training and continuing education for pilots that is important throughout Switzerland—using all legal means at its disposal. pd