André Dosé raises the alarm: “The federal government must now help the Swiss!”
The first boss of the Swissair successor is concerned about the dramatic situation in aviation. The grounded Swiss machines awaken bad memories for him. He demands quick action – but not only for the airlines.
André Dosé was the first Swiss boss in 2001 and resigned in 2004. Image: KEYSTONE
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He was the first boss that Swiss had: the former Crossair pilot took the helm in 2001 when the successor to Swissair was launched. During his term of office – he resigned in 2004 – the Sars crisis also fell. “We were just starting out with a lot of effort when we were confronted with the Sars pandemic in Asia and the Iraq war,” Dosé recalls in an interview with CH Media. “I had to fire 3,500 people within a month.”
And yet it is not a comparison to the current crisis with the Corona virus. “The Asian flights were the cash cows at the time, but we still had our USA destinations and European traffic.” Now practically all of aviation has come to a standstill. “All over. It is a super disaster. »
He can understand that Swiss is now asking for state aid. “The planes are on the ground, the fixed costs are enormous, that goes to liquidity extremely quickly.” According to Dosé, who has various advisory mandates in the aviation industry, hardly any airline should survive this crisis without external help. Not all of them should get their turn, however. “Some will go bankrupt.”
«Back then, blatant management mistakes were made»
“Sure, the pictures of the Swiss aircraft on the ground in Kloten bring back bad memories of Swissair grounding,” says Dosé. However, the current situation is not comparable to the situation at the time. «At that time, blatant management mistakes were made, you can’t say that today. On the contrary, Swiss is working extremely successfully. »
Time is still pressing now, but he is optimistic that negotiations with the federal government will not take as long as back then. “After the end of Swissair, umpteen alternatives were discussed with countless potential investors.” Today the situation is much clearer. “The federal government must now act swiftly and pragmatically and help Swiss and all other companies concerned.”
But it is also not just about Swiss government aid, but all the companies concerned. Dosé thinks especially of travel agencies. Because since 2014 the 62-year-old foundation president of the guarantee fund of the travel industry.
The summer business of travel agencies is at risk
The situation is dramatic, both for the large and the small providers. For example, the Geneva cruise operator MSC and Europe’s largest travel group Tui have completely stopped doing business. “But there are also a huge number of small travel agencies with two or three employees.” It will now be very difficult for everyone. Because the summer vacation business is also at risk.
The guarantee fund has existed for around 30 years due to the package travel law and it worked well. If a travel agency went bankrupt, the fund could be used to compensate customers. “But the fund is not designed for a crisis of this magnitude, something like that cannot be financed.” Dosé is therefore seeking to speak to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs as soon as possible to request bridging loans and further relief for its members. “We have to react now, quickly and pragmatically, so that we are ready when normalcy returns.”
