Lufthansa’s Swiss Invests in Business Aviation

By Thomas Stocker

July 22, 2008
Charter

Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss International Airlines on Thursday took over Zurich-based Servair Private Charter for an undisclosed amount and said it will integrate the company into a new business unit called Swiss Private Aviation. The Servair staff of eight have been transferred to Swiss, as well as an undisclosed number of aircraft management contracts.

Out of its managed fleet, Servair offered four aircraft for charter–a Gulfstream V and GIV, a Dassault Falcon 2000 and a Cessna Citation Excel. Swiss Private Aviation will continue offering the same scope of services as Servair, including aircraft management, executive charter, assistance in buying and selling executive aircraft, flight operations, crew selection, handling and maintenance supervision.

Early next year, Swiss Private Aviation will also take over the fleet of Lufthansa Private Jet, operated up to that time by Swiss European Air Lines, which will by then number 12 aircraft. Explaining his company’s move, Swiss CEO Christoph Franz said business aviation is growing faster than the airline sector and is less prone to recession.

Back

Sentient Flight Group Split-up Now a Done Deal September 02, 2008 The break up of Sentient’s jet-card and charter divisions announced on August 13 was finalized over the weekend, according to the two companies... [more]
XOJet Offers Fixed-Price Flights September 01, 2008 San Carlos, Calif.-based XOJet is offering fixed-price rates starting at $25,000 for one-way transcontinental flights. The rate includes ground... [more]
JetSuite uses low-cost airlines as a model for charter service September 01, 2008 A new jet ownership and charter business called JetSuite is preparing to take delivery of its first Phenom 100 next April and has unveiled... [more]
With latest acquisition, Gama spreads its wings September 01, 2008 The charter industry has seen a flurry of acquisitions and mergers in the past year, and by all accounts the activity will continue. One of the... [more]
FAA Subpoena Seeks Info from Sentient Leaders August 15, 2008 The FAA on August 12 issued subpoenas seeking documents from Sentient Jet Holdings and executives at the charter/management, jet card and... [more]