With the season in full swing, skiers in the know are utilising the benefits of private aviation to maximise their time on the slopes. Leading aircraft charter specialist, Air Charter Service, believes that experience is the key to navigating the Swiss regulations and optimising an itinerary.

Arthur Guibert, CEO of ACS’s Geneva office, explains: “The four main airports used for skiing trips in Switzerland are Geneva, Sion, Gstaad and Samedan (the highest airport in Europe), but of these four, only Geneva has regular international scheduled flights.

“Geneva is an exceptionally busy international airport, handling tens of thousands of passengers every day, which means advance booking is key, in order to secure a landing slot. Sion has extremely limited scheduled services, and Gstaad and Samedan don’t handle international commercial flights at all, so chartering an aircraft is by far the best option to get to these airports and thus closer to many resorts, in most cases cutting several hours off onward road transit times.

“Experience here is key in selecting the right operator, as pilots have to be specifically qualified to land at Sion airport, but it offers much better slot availability than Geneva. As parking is limited at both Gstaad and Samedan, clients often charter separate aircraft in and out – with turboprop aircraft being the most commonly used type at these two airports.

“The majority of charters to these latter three airports for skiing trips are from within Europe, as those from farther afield often fly into Geneva or Zurich before transferring to a private aircraft. Having said that, we have already seen direct private jet charters into Sion from other continents. And this season is already shaping up to be one of our busiest – in fact, taking just these four airports into consideration, we have seen increases in the number of private jet flights into and out of every one of them this year, adding up to a total growth in charter numbers of 52% year-on-year, across all four.”

This video goes into more detail about the considerations when booking private jet charters into the country, including expert tips and local legislations.

Chartering a Private Jet for the Swiss Ski Season with Air Charter Service
aircharterservice.com

About Air Charter Service

Air Charter Service is a global aircraft charter broker with 40 offices worldwide, spanning all six major continents and we offer private jet, commercial airliner and cargo aircraft charters, as well as onboard courier solutions. We arrange over 35,000 flights annually with revenue of more than one billion dollars for the past four years. We were formed in 1990 by Chris and Tina Leach in the basement of their house, and we now employ more than 750 staff worldwide.

Paul Cremer

My name is Paul Cremer, and this marks my 42nd year working within the business and general aviation industry. Over this time, I’ve had the privilege of overseeing a diverse array of sector activities, ranging from aircraft charter and management to air ambulance services, ground operations, air traffic control, airport management, technology implementation, and the outsourcing services I currently manage.

In my role focused on delivering advisory, technology, and outsourcing services to aviation customers, I handle a wide spectrum of responsibilities. This includes overseeing International Trip Support, Operations Control Centre Services (OCC), Continuing Airworthiness Management Service (CAMO), Airworthiness Reviews, ARC Services, Aircraft Delivery and Re-delivery Support Services, Maintenance Coordination Services including AOG, Tech Ops (Maintenance Control Centre), and managing myairops software products. As the Head of Aviation Delivery, I lead the customer-facing delivery of Technology & Outsourcing products and services for the market, drawing upon a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and industry connections within Gama Aviation’s Technology and Outsourcing Strategic Business Unit.

My journey into Business and General Aviation began during my teenage years while still in school. I was fortunate enough to be welcomed into the industry, starting at a flying club, and later working at the Air Traffic Services Unit at Blackbushe Airport. There, I maintained the ATC Movement Logs in the Control Tower during weekends, solidifying my passion for aviation. Upon completing my schooling, I seized opportunities at Fairoaks Airport, where I began as Ground Crew while pursuing my Aerodrome Flight Information Service Officer’s license. Advancements in my career led me to the role of Air Traffic Services Manager.

Since joining Gama Aviation in 1996, I’ve held various positions, including Operations Manager (Post Holder), Operations & Commercial Manager, Commercial Manager, Operations Delivery Manager, Head of Business Aviation Delivery, and currently, Head of Aviation Delivery. This role encompasses Gama Aviation Group’s Gama Aviation, myairops, and FlyerTech companies.

In 2023, I was honoured to be invited to serve as the Chair of the Operations Working Group for the British Business & General Aviation Association. This opportunity allows me to contribute to industry initiatives within BBGA’s membership of nearly 200 industry companies, focusing on challenges such as regulatory compliance, Air Services Agreements, technological advancements, workforce development, operational matters, and sustainability.

Marc Bailey

Marc Bailey has spent his career in aviation and has worked in most areas of our industry with scheduled airlines, MRO’s, military contract support and latterly with associations, government, and its agencies.

Marc currently represents your position in Europe (even post Brexit) – as President of ECOGAS (European Council of General Aviation Support) which maintains a voice with EASA. All the major member states are represented on the ECOGAS board. With EASA restructuring its meetings with industry, ECOGAS is now well positioned to represent our position in all areas following industry partnerships with the European Continued Airworthiness Group and with the Association for Remotely Piloted Aviation Services (ARPAS). 

Marc is chair of the UKASF (United Kingdom Airworthiness Strategic Forum) as part of an initiative to develop Aviation Services across all aviation activities.  The UKASF pulls together airlines, MROs, Rotary, Drones, and commercial GA bodies to work with CAA and DfT. The objective is for industry to take the lead to drive strategic issues to benefit all parties. We are well positioned after six years to continue our good work for industry. With the re-established role of Chief Surveyor in the CAA we have a good focal point to undertake this work with the regulator including regular discussions and a full industry day with the CAA each year.

Marc chairs the CAA Finance and Services Forum, which allows industry in the UK to discuss the financial plans for the CAA and look closely at the services being delivered to industry. This is a new and valuable new platform for all parties.

Marc has formed an alliance with, ARPAS, AOPA, BHA and BBGA so that we can strengthen our voice under a joint ‘GA 4 Biz’ banner. This alliance is working to do everything possible to represent the industry’s business interests with UK government and to help realise the Government’s desire to make UK General Aviation a Global Leader in a post Brexit environment. 

The next Generation initiatives with industry and government have continued to develop with the retention platform now evolving into the “Aviation Skills Recruitment Platform” .  The platform now not only offers a vehicle for those offering and seeking posts in aviation, it also provides pathways with its TalentView portion seeking to provide pathways for new entrants into our sector. 

The recruitment platform is being further developed to include training opportunities across a wide range of providers, from government agencies through academic bodies. Getting our next generation activities right in the UK over the next couple of years is our single most important issue which we in aviation must grab with both hands. Moving into 2026 we are seeking to further develop the pathways to enter aviation, and this effort is being supported with development of multimedia platforms with the organisation Metaverse. This multimedia approach is being developed so that it is more relatable to the next generation of people wishing to join aviation in a myriad of roles.

In the role of President (honorary) Marc can support the BBGA in many aspects and continue to ensure that we retain the right connections across industry, with regulators in the UK, regulators in the EU and wherever possible help hold government and its departments to account using normal channels, and where necessary utilise All Party-Political Groups for aviation.

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