A spokesman for Switzerland’s Federal Office of Civil Aviation in Bern said on Monday that several Qatari ruling-family aircraft landed in Zurich overnight from Friday into Saturday because of a medical emergency involving one of the arrivals. He confirmed reports in German-language Swiss newspapers.
He told Agence France-Presse that the Swiss Air Force, on duty overnight December 25–26, had authorized the emergency landings, without further details.
Zurich’s Tages-Anzeiger reported that a first Airbus belonging to Qatar’s state airline arrived from Marrakesh just after midnight on December 26.
A second Airbus equipped for medical use arrived at 5:15 a.m. local time, followed by a third plane fifteen minutes later. Both belonged to the ruling family and came from Doha.
Night takeoffs and landings are prohibited at Zurich-Kloten Airport to avoid disturbing nearby residents’ sleep.
The family had been spending the Christmas holiday in Ifrane, the Atlas Mountains winter resort in Morocco.
The newspaper said the emergency created an air bridge between Qatar and Switzerland. After the first three planes overnight December 25–26, around six large aircraft, including a Qatari government jumbo jet, also landed in Zurich over the weekend.
Switzerland’s Foreign Ministry confirmed to Tages-Anzeiger that Qatar’s ruling family was in the country, without adding details.