Access to aeroplanes for vehicles with «CD» licence plates

Information notice (only in English) relating to the access for diplomatic vehicles to security-restricted zones of Swiss international airports (Zürich, Geneva, Bern-Belp, Lugano, Sion and Altenrhein) issued by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) on 20 December 2004.

1. General

The airport operator is obliged to observe the general rule that vehicles which need to be used airside shall remain airside to the extent practicable, and that the number of vehicles airside shall be kept to a minimum. The access of diplomatic vehicles to security restricted areas of an airport – when used for relevant commercial flights – is prohibited.

Exceptions

The access of diplomatic vehicles to security restricted areas of an airport may be granted for the vehicles of the following persons:

• Presidents, Heads of State
• President of the European Commission
• Foreign Prime Ministers and Heads of Government
• Foreign Affairs Ministers
• Secretary General of the United Nations
• Directors General of United Nations Agencies (e.g. UNHCR, ...)
• Secretary General of NATO
• Official guests of the Federal and/or State Government (only of previously announced by the Protocol services)
• Members of Royal Families (down to the second generation: parents, brothers and sisters, children and grand-children, as well as their spouses)
• Official Head of Churches 
  
  The exemptions for these persons may only be granted by the airport operator upon official request by the diplomatic Missions or the Department of Foreign Affairs.

2. Approval

The approval for the access of diplomatic vehicles to security restricted areas may only be issued by the airport operator upon official request by the diplomatic or permanent Missions, the international Organisations or the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs.

3. Security controls

The airport operator shall screen or visually check diplomatic vehicles on a random basis. All persons accompanying those mentioned in paragraph 2 above and the baggage travelling within such a vehicle, except the diplomatic bag, shall be subjected to screening.

The vehicles of these persons shall in any case be escorted by the competent authority while in the security restricted areas.