American authorities impose a hefty fine on Swiss

The Swiss airline was fined $200,000 by the US Department of Transportation on December 30, the Tages-Anzeiger revealed on Thursday. In question, flights over Baghdad at an altitude below 32,000 feet (9750m), even though this is an area prohibited to American companies.

However, Swiss operated these connections in “codeshare” with United Airlines. Codeshare is a commercial agreement between two airlines whereby one can market the other’s flights using its own code.

When questioned, Swiss argues that the corridors in the authorized airspace are narrow and complex, because they are often overcrowded. As a result, if she broke the law, it is because the local air traffic controller did not allow her planes to climb to the required altitude, above 32,000 feet. But it claims to have taken measures to ensure that crews better comply with the requirements in the future.

Lufthansa was also fined $220,000 for the same reasons. Note that, according to the aviation portal Simpleflying.com, in 2024 the American authorities imposed fines amounting to 2.9 million US dollars.