Air Switzerland not to take off for now
 

Liechtenstein-Swiss owned Air Switzerland will not be able to take off for some time.

BAZL/OFAC (the Swiss equivalent to FAA/CAA) have not received all necessary documentation in order to issue the necessary AOC.

Having planned flights from LSZH and LSZB starting in July, this is a definite setback for the company. They have some 60 employees on their payroll.

Their spokesman, Bernhard Ecklin, concedes it was a mistake and too ambitious to envisage operations to commence in July. He denies there are any problems, saying that it was "normal practice" for authorities to take time in processing such applications.....

I read a report a few weeks back that said Air Switzerland wouldn't be up and running until September at least, for exactly those reasons.

Sooner or later they will T/O, its only matter of time. Govermnet papers move slowly in Switzerland as elsewhere.
Be patient, everything is going to be alright.

Money - lots of it is a big problem right now - you have to prove that any large sum arriving in your bank has a legitimite origin - ie. is not drug money etc.

By keeping their loot in Leichtenstein, the boys hoped to avoid this admin problem but it apparently isn't that easy.

Time will tell.

where do you think most of the big money in Switzerland has come from ? dating back to pre wwII till now.

It seems that the current delays are due more to lack of documentation relating to maintenance contracts etc.

Initial approval problems were indeed related to the financial side of the operation, as the company had to prove that it was under majority control of Swiss/Liechtenstein nationals and/or entities. Its financing model (based on credit facilities extended by unnamed sources rather than equity stakes) caused considerable obstacles in this respect. These issues are no longer being raised (at least not in public..).

BAZL/OFAC publicly confirm that Air Switzerland's application has still not been processed as it is "incomplete".

Latest news is that Mario Ritter's core travel business is on the brink of collapse. Unable to put up either cash or a bank guarantee for a travel agent's bond (CHF 50,000), he has lost both Hotelplan and RBM as partners (and does not have Kuoni, TUI or FTI).

was this airline ever MEANT to take off??
 

just my two cents...

the company was founded after the collapse of SWR. they want to establish a charter network to the destiations swissair gave up because they made not sufficient profits....so how do they expect to make profit?
balair/belair has reduced their flight plan due lack of demand.
they "just" took over the airplanes from air engiadina. do you just take over an airline, just because it's at a good price? how can you integrate a regional airline (based in berne) and a long-haul-charter airline (based in zurich)?
lichtenstein is a country which has twice the number of companies than inhabitants. and most of them consist of a letterbox, a desk, a phone line and a lawyer.
the former CEO of air engiadina left air switzerland due "lack of leadership and an unclear financing of the company".

i hope for all involved people that i am wrong, but in my opinion,
cheers,

Sorry cant put that in, very libellious, lets wait and see.

Hogg

bad news...
air switzerland has fired 58 people, 47 in berne (the hub of the former air engiadina, the bancrupt company which has been bought by air switzerland). most of them were former employees of air engiadina, so they have been fired twice this year! the other 11 were working at the head office/ground ops in glattbrugg, close to LSZH.
so, the short-haul-thing of air switzerland failed before they took off. let's hope they have more success on their long-haul charter plans....... :(

cheers