In an effort to head off speculation over the future of Swissair, the airline's parent company SAirGroup (SAir) has formally denied it is even considering selling all or part of the Swiss flag-carrier.
Press reports said the disposal of Swissair was to be discussed by the SAir board on 22 November, but the group says directors took "no wide-reaching strategic decisions" at the meeting. Board chairman Dr Eric Honegger says the sale of Swissair "was not and is not an option open for discussion".
Despite the denials, SAir says its directors "have some understanding for the conjecture that proceeded the meeting" because high fuel costs, the strong US dollar and falling yields placed airlines under "a great deal of pressure". But it adds that the group's "core airline strategy remains unchanged".
The board "weighed strategic options and investigated the opportunities and risks of various alternative scenarios" at last week's meeting. It has tasked the executive management team with finding ways of shoring up Swissair's financial performance.
Source: Flight International
