DA.C - View Single Post - Era ends as last Swissair flights take off

DeltaFlot · 03-30-2002, 02:39 PM

Era ends as last Swissair flights take off
Carrier played a key role in the Swiss national psyche
March 30, 2002 Posted: 8:57 AM EST (1357 GMT)

ZURICH, Switzerland (Reuters) -- The Swissair name was legend and its history rich, but in the end the cash simply ran out.

The last outbound Swissair flight on Saturday signals the end of an era, the sad finish to one of the world's most respected airlines, which flew the flag of a small country around the globe.

"Swissair was a temple, a god, an idol," parliamentarian and billionaire businessman Christoph Blocher says about the disproportionate role the airline played in the national psyche.

Swissair is suspending operations as a consequence of the financial collapse of its parent company in October of last year. The company's intended rescuer called the collapse "these terribly dramatic and traumatic events."

Mario Corti was brought in as chairman at the start of the year with the aim of becoming the airline's savior but before the end of the year, he would find himself closing down the company.

A new airline -- "Swiss" -- has been put together around former the regional carrier Crossair with 2.7 billion Swiss francs ($1.6 billion) in capital provided by Swiss companies and the government in a national bailout.

On March 27, a private event for Swissair staff members was followed by the departure of a symbolic "last flight": A plane that took off from Zurich for Cape Town on a journey with several stops, retraced Swissair's first flight.

After waving off that plane, the new carrier Swiss will throw a party to welcome staffers to their fledgling company. The official handover takes place on the start of the airline industry's summer schedule, on March 31.

Court-appointed administrators are at that point scheduled to close down Swissair and its SAirGroup parent, selling assets to pay back some of the debt of more than 12.5 billion Swiss francs.

Debts and disasters

A plane of the new airline -- Swiss -- passes behind an American Airlines jet at Zurich. After Swissair stops service on Saturday, Swiss opens for business Sunday.
Swissair aimed at becoming a world class aviation company and in 1989 embarked on a policy of foreign alliances and acquisitions that in the end became a millstone, pulling the firm into a financial abyss.

The sudden drop in air traffic after the September 11 attacks in the United States sounded the death knell for a company already crippled by debts and obliterated a much-heralded restructuring and rescue package.

Swissair was founded in 1931 by the merger of small airlines Balair and Ad Astra, using Fokker propeller aircraft. The first European airline to fly the Lockheed "Orion" in 1932 and to employ a stewardess -- Nelly Diener -- in 1934, it became the national airline of Switzerland in 1947 with public authorities taking a 30-percent stake.

By 1967, Swissair employed 10,000 staff. In 1968 it was the third European airline with an all-jet fleet. It started cooperation with Scandinavia's SAS and KLM of the Netherlands.

Cooperation with Crossair started in 1982. The first female pilot, Gabriela Luethi, joined in 1985.

It signed a wide-ranging cooperation agreement with Delta Air Lines, SAS and Singapore Airlines in 1989. It started the European Quality Alliance with SAS, Austrian Airlines and Finnair in 1990.

In 1993 there were merger talks with KLM, SAS and Austrian, but they broke off on the choice of a United States partner. Swissair took a stake in Belgium's Sabena in 1995, followed by Ukraine International Airlines in 1996.

Swissair changed its U.S. partner in 1999 to American Airlines after Delta decided to team up with Air France.

That year Swissair took a 49-percent stake in France's AOM, 20 percent in Portugal's TAP, 42 percent in Portugalia, 20 percent in South African Airways and 37.6 percent in Poland's LOT.

Biggest trauma

"We are declaring an emergency at time zero one two four ... we are starting vent now. We have to land immediately."

Those were the last words to traffic control from the cockpit of Swissair Flight 111 on September 2, 1998. Six minutes later it crashed in the Atlantic Ocean, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia. All 14 crew members and 215 passengers were killed. The cause remains unclear.

The Halifax crash was by far the biggest tragedy to hit the company, known for its reliability. The affair caused deep trauma not just for Swissair but for all of Switzerland.

The record of Swissair had been good for an airline of its size. A Caravelle plane caught fire and crashed after take-off in Zurich in 1963, killing 80 people. A Convair went down shortly after take-off in Zurich in 1970, claiming 47 lives after the explosion of a bomb planted by the People's Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

A DC-8 with 142 people on board crashed into a wire fence at Athens airport in October 1979, killing 14.

But nearly as traumatic for many Swiss people were the images of early October when the entire Swissair fleet was grounded because of a lack of cash. The tarmac of Zurich airport was turned into one big parking lot where some 50 planes with the Swiss flag on their tail fins were immobilized.

Thousands of passengers were stranded. The Salvation Army ladled out soup and local farmers handed out apples.

Taxpayers' money helped Swissair take off again for a short stay of execution. But on Saturday, when Swissair closes the doors of its headquarters for the last time, it will be all over.

03-30-2002, 02:39 PM	#1
DeltaFlot The Patriot Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Laurel, MD Age: 36 Posts: 3,228	Era ends as last Swissair flights take off Era ends as last Swissair flights take off Carrier played a key role in the Swiss national psyche March 30, 2002 Posted: 8:57 AM EST (1357 GMT) ZURICH, Switzerland (Reuters) -- The Swissair name was legend and its history rich, but in the end the cash simply ran out. The last outbound Swissair flight on Saturday signals the end of an era, the sad finish to one of the world's most respected airlines, which flew the flag of a small country around the globe. "Swissair was a temple, a god, an idol," parliamentarian and billionaire businessman Christoph Blocher says about the disproportionate role the airline played in the national psyche. Swissair is suspending operations as a consequence of the financial collapse of its parent company in October of last year. The company's intended rescuer called the collapse "these terribly dramatic and traumatic events." Mario Corti was brought in as chairman at the start of the year with the aim of becoming the airline's savior but before the end of the year, he would find himself closing down the company. A new airline -- "Swiss" -- has been put together around former the regional carrier Crossair with 2.7 billion Swiss francs ($1.6 billion) in capital provided by Swiss companies and the government in a national bailout. On March 27, a private event for Swissair staff members was followed by the departure of a symbolic "last flight": A plane that took off from Zurich for Cape Town on a journey with several stops, retraced Swissair's first flight. After waving off that plane, the new carrier Swiss will throw a party to welcome staffers to their fledgling company. The official handover takes place on the start of the airline industry's summer schedule, on March 31. Court-appointed administrators are at that point scheduled to close down Swissair and its SAirGroup parent, selling assets to pay back some of the debt of more than 12.5 billion Swiss francs. Debts and disasters A plane of the new airline -- Swiss -- passes behind an American Airlines jet at Zurich. After Swissair stops service on Saturday, Swiss opens for business Sunday. Swissair aimed at becoming a world class aviation company and in 1989 embarked on a policy of foreign alliances and acquisitions that in the end became a millstone, pulling the firm into a financial abyss. The sudden drop in air traffic after the September 11 attacks in the United States sounded the death knell for a company already crippled by debts and obliterated a much-heralded restructuring and rescue package. Swissair was founded in 1931 by the merger of small airlines Balair and Ad Astra, using Fokker propeller aircraft. The first European airline to fly the Lockheed "Orion" in 1932 and to employ a stewardess -- Nelly Diener -- in 1934, it became the national airline of Switzerland in 1947 with public authorities taking a 30-percent stake. By 1967, Swissair employed 10,000 staff. In 1968 it was the third European airline with an all-jet fleet. It started cooperation with Scandinavia's SAS and KLM of the Netherlands. Cooperation with Crossair started in 1982. The first female pilot, Gabriela Luethi, joined in 1985. It signed a wide-ranging cooperation agreement with Delta Air Lines, SAS and Singapore Airlines in 1989. It started the European Quality Alliance with SAS, Austrian Airlines and Finnair in 1990. In 1993 there were merger talks with KLM, SAS and Austrian, but they broke off on the choice of a United States partner. Swissair took a stake in Belgium's Sabena in 1995, followed by Ukraine International Airlines in 1996. Swissair changed its U.S. partner in 1999 to American Airlines after Delta decided to team up with Air France. That year Swissair took a 49-percent stake in France's AOM, 20 percent in Portugal's TAP, 42 percent in Portugalia, 20 percent in South African Airways and 37.6 percent in Poland's LOT. Biggest trauma "We are declaring an emergency at time zero one two four ... we are starting vent now. We have to land immediately." Those were the last words to traffic control from the cockpit of Swissair Flight 111 on September 2, 1998. Six minutes later it crashed in the Atlantic Ocean, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia. All 14 crew members and 215 passengers were killed. The cause remains unclear. The Halifax crash was by far the biggest tragedy to hit the company, known for its reliability. The affair caused deep trauma not just for Swissair but for all of Switzerland. The record of Swissair had been good for an airline of its size. A Caravelle plane caught fire and crashed after take-off in Zurich in 1963, killing 80 people. A Convair went down shortly after take-off in Zurich in 1970, claiming 47 lives after the explosion of a bomb planted by the People's Front for the Liberation of Palestine. A DC-8 with 142 people on board crashed into a wire fence at Athens airport in October 1979, killing 14. But nearly as traumatic for many Swiss people were the images of early October when the entire Swissair fleet was grounded because of a lack of cash. The tarmac of Zurich airport was turned into one big parking lot where some 50 planes with the Swiss flag on their tail fins were immobilized. Thousands of passengers were stranded. The Salvation Army ladled out soup and local farmers handed out apples. Taxpayers' money helped Swissair take off again for a short stay of execution. But on Saturday, when Swissair closes the doors of its headquarters for the last time, it will be all over. __________________ Febuary 15, 1898 December 7, 1941 June 8, 1967 September 11, 2001 Never Forget, Never Forgive If you kick the Tiger in the arse, you better be able to deal with the Tiger's teeth.