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| Founded | 1983 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 29 August 2018[2] | ||||||
| AOC # | CH.AOC.1039[3] | ||||||
| Hubs | Bern Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg | ||||||
| Fleet size | 6 | ||||||
| Destinations | 20 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Belp, Switzerland | ||||||
| Key people | Martin Inäbnit, CEO | ||||||
| Employees | 180 | ||||||
SkyWork Airlines was[2] a Swiss airline with its head office inBelp (BE) nearBern[4][5] and its base atBern Airport. It primarily operated scheduled flights to destinations across Europe, with additional charter operations throughout the summer months. The airline declared bankruptcy on 29 August 2018 and ceased all operations the same day.[2]
The airline's head office was originally in the north terminal ofBern Airport in Belp.[6][7][8]
The last of threeBombardier Dash 8 Q400 were transferred toAir Berlin by October 2014.[9] Also in October 2014,London-Southend replacedLondon-City as SkyWork's destination for London.[10] By April 2015 SkyWork had announced a decrease in their London operations from 12 return flights per week to 9 per week.[11] From July 2015 SkyWork served London-City Airport via a stopover atEuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg. In 2016 the airline introduced flights from Bern toUsedom via Basel as well.[12]
In November 2015, SkyWork announced the termination of theirACMI contract withDarwin Airline by December 2015. Scheduled flights toLondon-Southend were terminated due to capacity restrictions.[13] At the same time, SkyWork announced the retirement of their fleet ofDornier 328-110s by autumn 2017 as these were gradually replaced withSaab 2000s.[13] In October 2016, SkyWork entered aninterline agreement withAir France-KLM, integrating Bern into that group's global network throughAmsterdam.[14]
In October 2017, SkyWork called off plans for extensive scheduled operations fromSion Airport to several European cities, catering for skiing tourism, due to low demand.[15] At the same time, the airline also cancelled its service fromBasel toLondon City Airport.[16]
On 16 October 2017, the SwissFederal Office of Civil Aviation (BAZL) announced it would terminate SkyWork'sair operator's certificate after October if the airline failed to provide sufficient funds to operate the upcoming winter schedule.[17] As the licence renewal did not take place until the end of the summer schedule, SkyWork Airlines was forced to cancel all flights for the first day of the winter schedule on 29 October 2017.[18] On the same day, SkyWork had to extend the cancellation until 31 October.[18] They also announced they had not yet found an investor to support the company and would continue the search. It was stated that base operations out ofBern Airport alone were not financially viable.[19] CompetitorAdria Airways announced that it would take over some metropolitan routes in the event of the airline's demise.[20]
On the evening of 29 August 2018, SkyWork Airlines declaredbankruptcy after failed negotiations with a new investor. The airline ceased all operations and handed back its operating license to the authorities.[2]
SkyWork Airlines operated scheduled flights to Western European cities along with partially seasonal leisure destinations in Southern Europe from its home base inBern, as well as a smaller summer seasonal focus city operation inBasel.
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As of August 2018, the SkyWork Airlines fleet comprised the following aircraft:[21]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers[21] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embraer 170 | — | 1 | 80 | was to be acquired during 2018[22] |
| Saab 2000 | 6 | — | 50 | |
| Total | 6 | 1 | ||
The airline previously also operated a fleet ofDornier 328-110s which were gradually replaced by largerSaab 2000s by early 2018.[23]
Media related toSkyWork Airlines at Wikimedia Commons
