For nearly 38 years – from March 1972 to January 2011 – I had the privilege to work as an employee of the Federal Office for Civil Aviation – FOCA (until June 1979: Federal Air Office – FAO).
From 1975, my initial position as head of the statistics service, responsible, among other tasks, for publishing the annual report “Swiss Civil Aviation“, gave me a comprehensive insight into all departments of the Federal Air Office and aviation developments in Switzerland.
The chairmanship of the statistics expert group of the European Civil Aviation Commission ECAC and the mandate of the Directorate for Development Aid DEH as an air transport expert at the “South East Asian Transport and Communication – SEATAC” in Malaysia in the years 1980/81 marked the beginning of my committed involvement in numerous conferences and meetings on the international stage.
After 20 years in the field of commercial aviation, I was nominated Head of the Air Transport and Statistics Section in February 1993, and at the same time Deputy Head of the Air Transport and International Affairs Division.
From 2001, within the process-oriented organization of the FOCA, my responsibilities as Head of Air Transport Enterprises covered all products of the office related to air transport operations . After a brief position as Deputy Head of the Safety Division Flight Operations SB, the Federal Council appointed me, for the period 2007-2010, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO in Montreal .
Below you will find some contributions on the history and activities of the FOCA.
- The origins of the Federal Air Office (in German)
- Official Communication of FAO – July 1921 (in French)
- 100 Years of FOCA (in German)
- 100 Years of FOCA (in French)
- Aircraft Fleet of FOCA (in German)
Last modification 2022.08.22. – DR