SAirGroup’s Reutlinger resigns

Paul Reutlinger will step down from his position at the end of February Keystone

The head of SAirGroup's three French subsidiary airlines, Paul Reutlinger, is to step down. His resignation comes less than two weeks after the departure of SAirGroup's beleaguered chief executive, Philippe Bruggisser.

SAirGroup announced that Reutlinger will leave the company, which controls the national flag carrier, Swissair, at the end of the month.

Last August, the 57-year-old was appointed head of the subsidiaries AOM, Air Liberté and Air Littoral, after four years at the helm of the Belgian carrier, Sabena. SAirGroup holds a 49 per cent stake in the airline.

Sabena has been plagued with financial trouble. Last Month, SAirGroup and the Belgian government agreed a re-capitalisation plan for the ailing airline.

Moritz Suter, the new chief of all SAirGroups’ airline activities, has said he will work to quickly fill Reutlinger’s position.

The strategy of expansion persued in the era of Reutlinger and Bruggisser has been criticised. The company has been trying to improve its market position in recent years with a series of alliances with other airlines and by acquiring stakes in other carriers.

The SAirGroup says that under its interim chief executive, Eric Honegger, it has called a halt to all new investments and acquisitions.

The Swiss airline did announce last Friday that it is to maintain its partnership with South African Airways but earlier pulled out of any deal with the Portuguese carrier, TAP and Turkish Airlines.

swissinfo with agencies