Challenger of the Confederation Switzerland uses jets more often for VIP flights than for evacuations
It costs Switzerland a lot of money to maintain the Confederation's Challenger jets. According to a report, however, they are used for VIP flights rather than evacuations.
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- According to a media report, the maintenance of the two Bombardier Challenger CL-604 jets will cost Switzerland a lot of money in the coming years.
- In addition, the aircraft are rarely used for their intended purpose.
- The Confederation purchased the two Challengers from Rega around six years ago.
The Confederation bought two Bombardier Challenger CL-604 jets from Rega six years ago. Purchase price: 13 million Swiss francs. However, as reported by "20 Minuten", they are rarely used for the missions for which they were actually intended. The fact that the two aircraft are underutilized had already caused criticism.
The report states that the two Challengers are only used half of the time for one of the purposes stated at the time of purchase. Only 25 percent of the jets were used for humanitarian purposes and to fly Swisscoy soldiers and equipment to Kosovo and back.
The other half is divided between transport flights for the army, training abroad and flight demonstrations during operations (30 percent) and passenger transportation (20 percent).
"VIP flights" for capacity utilization
According to the report, other federal aircraft were also used for evacuations. France, for example, evacuated Swiss embassy staff following the outbreak of unrest in Sudan. The ambassador himself flew in the Federal Council jet.
After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan and the terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7, Switzerland relied on chartered aircraft and special Swiss flights instead of the Challenger - and in particular on the help of other countries such as the USA and Germany.
In order to increase the utilization of the fleet, the Federal Council extended the group of people entitled to "VIP flights" of the air transport service, among other things. While these were previously reserved for members of the Federal Council, the Federal Chancellor and the President of the National Council or Council of States, state secretaries, the Attorney General or invited state guests can now also use the jets.
Expensive maintenance contracts
According to the report, the two Challenger aircraft were used as air cabs for top officials for a total of 566 hours between 2019 and 2023. Air Force communications also show that the jets were regularly used for VIP flights from 2020.
According to the Air Force, the VIP flights and air shows abroad are also in line with the purpose of procuring the Challenger jets. These are very well utilized.
However, according to "20 Minuten", the maintenance of the two Challengers has cost Switzerland CHF 5.6 million to date. The three contracts were recently extended by five years. According to the report, these costs are likely to rise dramatically. According to an air force spokeswoman, the jets are on the ground for maintenance work 35 percent of the time.
It is also reported that the French company Dassault was awarded the contract. The offer was between 17.7 and 43 million Swiss francs. Armasuisse does not provide any information on the actual amount. According to the report, Switzerland will also spend up to nine million Swiss francs on spare parts from Bombardier. In addition, the US company Honeywell will receive a further 900,000 Swiss francs for the maintenance of the auxiliary power unit. The package provides for a 24-hour service seven days a week. "The two aircraft must be operational around the clock," says the air force spokeswoman.
