Swiss World Airways, Geneva's planned rival to Swissair, may have to postpone the start of its services to North America until March because of delays in getting its leased Boeing 767s onto the Swiss register.
The carrier, which was proposed after Swissair withdrew most of its long-haul operations from Geneva, had hoped to get under way in mid-December with flights to Newark, New York.
Switzerland's civil-aviation authority, OFAC, now says that there is no chance of completing the introduction of the 767-300ER, which is a new type in Switzerland, onto the country's aircraft register.
A detailed evaluation would take at least three months and is unlikely before the beginning of March, says the OFAC, which has yet to receive sufficient documentation to handle the registration. Swiss World, due to take delivery of two new 767s from Boeing at the end of 1998, says that it is looking at ways of speeding the process.
Source: Flight International
