Press raises questions about Dosé resignation

Dosé's resignation dominated the Swiss media. swissinfo.ch

Swiss newspapers said on Thursday the resignation of André Dosé, chief executive of the airline Swiss, was inevitable but begged a number of questions.

Dosé resigned over an investigation into a Crossair plane crash two years ago, which killed 24 people. He was in charge of the airline at the time.

The “Tribune de Genève” commented that Dosé’s resignation had not come as a surprise.

“The head of Swiss had been living under permanent pressure… and the recent decision by the federal prosecutor to open criminal proceedings against the former bosses of Crossair in the Bassersdorf crash affair tipped the balance.”

The “Berner Zeitung” echoed the thoughts of the Geneva newspaper.

“Dosé was also responsible in his capacity as the head of Crossair. And therefore he had become a heavy burden. An airline boss who is linked to insufficient security cannot be tolerated because security and trust are the be all and end all of an airline,” it stated.

“Out of his depth”

The Berner Zeitung added that there could be another reason for Dosé’s resignation. There was much to suggest, it commented, that the board of directors wanted to be rid of him.

“It was evident that Dosé was out of his depth. Added to that, he had lost the trust of the banks and the politicians.”

The “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” described Dosé’s resignation as a “hasty decision”, with the management of Swiss now severely weakened.

“The chances of survival of Swiss have been clearly harmed by Dosé’s rash resignation,” the Zurich paper commented.

And it added that although the airline had kept to its business plan, the company’s decline was “far from being under control”.

The “Tages Anzeiger” raised the question of why the board of directors had not waited until the federal prosecutor’s office had officially named Dosé in its investigation.

“The board has a need to explain itself to the staff, shareholders and the general public,” it argued.

Government responsibilities

The tabloid “Blick” wrote that at the end of the day, Dosé was isolated. And it reminded the government of its responsibilities.

“Billions in taxpayers’ money has been pumped into Swiss. It is our money,” it commented. It added that there was a lingering impression that Swiss had become “a hot potato” for the government.

The “Basler Zeitung” looked into the future and found that there were two problems that had to be tackled after Dosé’s “elimination”.

“One is a successor. Who should take over this job which is considered the worst in the Swiss economy?”

“The other problem is that Swiss urgently needs continuity… because Swiss is right in the middle of a turnaround,” it commented.

“Who has the courage?”

The Tribune de Genève asked who would have the courage to step in and take over the reins of the company.

“Although Swiss has reduced its debt in 2003 appreciably, it is still heavily in the red. Its passenger figures are hardly brilliant. Its strategy is not convincing.”

“The boss ad interim, Pieter Bouw, will have to use some treasures of intelligence if he is to find the rare pearl which is capable of saving our national company,” it added.

swissinfo, Robert Brookes

In brief

November 24, 2001: A Crossair Jumbolino crashes on the final approach to Zurich airport killing 24 people. Nine passengers survive.

February 3, 2004: The Swiss Air Accident Investigation Bureau publishes its final report into the crash. Pilot error blamed, but Crossair and the Federal Office for Civil Aviation also come in for criticism.

March 1, 2004: Swiss calls on the Air Accident Investigation Bureau to re-examine the contents of the report.

March 10, 2004: Former Crossair boss André Dosé stands down from his current post as Swiss CEO amid an ongoing enquiry into the crash.