Airline Liaison Officers (ALO) are specialists who advise and train airlines on document checks abroad. The tasks of an ALO include detecting forged documents, identifying people and compiling risk profiles. ALOs train airline staff and local border control bodies. Aside from their work at airports, ALOs also advise Switzerland's foreign representations.
The assignments of ALOs are an internationally recognised and effective means of combating illegal migration in countries of origin and transit. They are part of Switzerland's border management strategy.
Both Switzerland and its partner countries, as well as the airlines, benefit from the deployment of ALOs. The airlines are obliged to ensure that all passengers have the requisite travel documents when entering Switzerland. The airlines can be sanctioned if they fail to do so.
Swiss ALOs have been deployed at selected third-country airports since the end of 2012. The assignments are coordinated by an interdepartmental steering group of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) and the Federal Department of Finance (FDF).
The ALOs are co-financed via the BMVI fund.
