Le Matin, Fre - A long-simmering argument over F/A-18 fighter jets noisily flying over the Valais appears to be heating up. A Valaisan deputy is scheduled to raise questions in the cantonal parliament Tuesday about the growing number of flights in the area. Residents complain that Samuel Schmid, the minister for military affairs, refuses to meet with them to discuss the noise problem. Given that the number of flights is expected to triple by 2010, Valais residents fear the noise can only increase.
Sion has one of Switzerland's air force training bases and while most of the pilots' training is done in quieter F5 Tigers, the F/A-18s use the Valaisan corridor where there is little commercial traffic compared to the rest of the country.