Helvetic Airways
Switzerland · HELVETIC · Active
Airline Identity
History
Helvetic Airways traces its roots to Odette Airways and was re-established under the Helvetic name in autumn 2003, beginning commercial operations in November 2003 with a single Fokker 100 serving three destinations from Zurich. The fleet grew to seven aircraft within a year, and in 2006 the airline adopted the red-white-silver livery with the Swiss cross that it is still associated with today. The carrier gained unwanted international attention in February 2013 when it was the target of a roughly $50 million diamond heist at Brussels Airport. From 2014 the airline began retiring its Fokker 100s in favour of Embraer E-Jets, with the last Fokker 100 leaving the fleet in June 2019.
Current Operations
Helvetic Airways operates an all-Embraer fleet of E190 and E190-E2 jets from its home base at Zurich Airport, with additional crew bases at Bern and Basel. Alongside a modest own-brand scheduled and charter network to European and North African leisure destinations, a large share of its flying is wet-lease (ACMI) capacity operated on behalf of Swiss International Air Lines, Lufthansa and Condor. The airline is privately owned by Swiss businessman Martin Ebner and is not a member of any of the three major global alliances.
Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.