Skyguide and ACR to develop a Joint Venture (JV) to deliver air traffic services on Swiss regional aerodromes

The managements of skyguide and ACR Aviation Capacity Resources have been tasked by their respective Boards of Directors to develop a Joint Venture (JV). The main purpose of this common undertaking is to provide Swiss regional aerodromes in the future with cost-efficient Air Navigation Services tailored to their individual needs. Since 1 January 2019, the market for Terminal ANS (Tower-, Arrival-and Departure control) at Swiss regional aerodromes has been partly liberalized, opening the market to other providers.

The new legal framework in Switzerland, in place since 1 January 2019, enables other Air Traffic Service Providers besides skyguide to deliver Air Traffic Control on regional aerodromes. Skyguide intends to continue to provide safe and high-quality services on regional aerodromes and has, during the past months, been evaluating various options on how to serve the particular needs of this market in an optimal way.

The outcome of that evaluation has been to work to establish a JV with a partner that has the capacity and competence to operate this segment. ACR Aviation Capacity Resources of Sweden, in a strategic partnership with skyguide since 2011, is seen as an ideal match for this task. This option has gained the support of the Boards of Directors of both companies. Thus, the managements of skyguide and ACR have been tasked to develop this JV.

An agreement on the general framework of this common undertaking has been reached and final analysis work on how to best serve the market needs are on-going.

The JV acknowledges the changed legal framework and is the designated vehicle that allows to deliver the quality service, competence and the experience of skyguide through the agile and lean structures of ACR.

“In anticipation of the market opening and an intensifying cooperation with our long-time partner skyguide, we have already established ACR Switzerland AG. The main aim of this JV is to provide the Swiss regional aerodromes with a tailor-made and cost-efficient service that allows them to continue their operations safely and reliably”, says Wilhelm Wohlfahrt, CEO of ACR.

“The provision of air navigation services at the regional aerodromes in Switzerland is something which skyguide has been proud to do over the past years. In this new environment, we believe that we can best serve our customers by creating a new and better-value offering, and we are delighted