The investigation into a mid-air collision between a Russian airliner and a DHL cargo jet over Germany last week has just begun. But scrutiny is already focused on Skyguide, the Swiss air- traffic-control center responsible for the area where the planes crashed. Investigators want to determine whether factors at the center the deactivation of a crucial warning system, the instructions issued to the Russian pilot less than 50 seconds before impact and Skyguide's sub-European-standard radar system amount to negligence. Whatever the inquiry finds, notes Daniel Solon at the aviation consultancy Avmark, "this highlights the urgency for some integrated European...
