Geneva - Swiss tourist airline Ju-Air plans to restart
operations on August 17, days after 20 people died when one of
its vintage aircraft crashed in the Alps.
The announcement came Tuesday as rescuers finished recovering the
remains of the 17 passengers and three crew members from the Piz
Segnas mountain in eastern Switzerland.
Switzerland's Federal Office of Civil Aviation said in a statement
that it could not ground Ju-Air's remaining two planes unless there
were indications of a technical defect.
The office added, however, that "Ju-Air must ensure that the crews
and maintenance staff are mentally able to guarantee safe flight
operations."
"We will conduct conversations with all our staff," Ju-Air spokesman
Christiane Gartmann said, adding that no one would be forced to fly.
The small airline, which is based in Duebendorf near Zurich, is
operated by volunteers, including seasoned airline and military
pilots.
The aircraft that crashed on Saturday was one of Ju-Air's three
German-built Junkers Ju-52 aircraft from 1939 that originally
belonged to the Swiss air force.
The cause of the accident has not been established. Based on
eyewitness accounts, aviation experts say that the aircraft likely
stalled and nosedived for a yet unknown reason when it was flying a
sharp turn.