Chair
Chair Airlines AG is a privately held Swiss leisure airline operating since mid-2019 from Zurich, Basel, and Bern to 15+ vacation destinations in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, selling point-to-point tickets, charter seats via Swiss travel agencies, and ancillaries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersGlattbrugg, Switzerland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Chair does
Chair Airlines AG is a privately held Swiss leisure airline headquartered in Glattbrugg near Zurich Airport, operating since mid-2019. The carrier runs scheduled and charter flights from Swiss airports (Zurich, Basel, Bern) to more than 15 destinations across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East — concentrated on Mediterranean leisure markets (Greece, Spain, Cyprus, the Balkans), Egypt (Hurghada, Marsa Alam), and Morocco (Marrakesh), with new Summer 2026 additions including Porto, Patras, Tuzla, Jerez de la Frontera, and Vlora. Its core customer segments are individual leisure travelers, Swiss tour operators and travel agencies (via a dedicated Agency Portal), diaspora travelers to Kosovo and North Macedonia, and small groups (10–30 passengers) for sports clubs and corporate events. The fleet is described as modern Airbus equipment; the airline was unavailable in app stores and does not publish a proprietary mobile app, instead directing users to chair.ch for online booking, online check-in (24 hours before departure), and self bag drop at Zurich Airport.
The company's core product is its online flight booking and ancillary platform, which supports multi-currency transactions (CHF, USD, EUR) and three fare tiers — Basic (hand luggage only, non-refundable), Flex (23kg checked bag, fee-based rebooking), and Comfort (32kg bag, preferred seat, free rebooking, refundable). Ancillary revenue streams are central to the unit economics and include seat reservations (CHF 10–30), extra baggage (CHF 90–190), sports equipment transport (free on most flights), pet transport (CHF 90–170), VIP Package (from CHF 30), unaccompanied minor service (CHF 90), Group Bookings, and on-board catering (Gate Gourmet with Swiss seasonal ingredients, Vergani wines) and duty free sales. A browser-based inflight entertainment platform called 'Chairtainment' provides movies, series, music, and games without requiring an app installation. Distribution combines direct online sales (chair.ch), a service center (phone and email), Zurich self bag drop, and a channel of Swiss travel agencies and tour operators for charter/package sales.
Revenue mechanics are predominantly transactional — ticket sales plus à la carte ancillaries — supplemented by charter partnerships with tour operators. The company is led by CEO Shpend Ibrahimi, COO Nicolas Bühler, and CFO Christof Aregger, operates with 51–100 employees, and has no publicly disclosed parent, investors, funding rounds, or financial figures. Strategic emphasis is on lean operations, Swiss quality positioning under the 'Switzerland's freshest airline' brand, and seasonal route expansion targeting leisure demand patterns from Switzerland.
Chair firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Chair
- Legal name
- Chair Airlines AG
- Website
- https://chair.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Chair Airlines AG is a privately held Swiss leisure airline operating since mid-2019 from Zurich, Basel, and Bern to 15+ vacation destinations in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, selling point-to-point tickets, charter seats via Swiss travel agencies, and ancillaries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Chair industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Leisure Air Travel
- NAICS
- Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation (481111), Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation (481211)
- SIC
- Air Transportation, Scheduled (4512)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ad Hoc Passenger Charter Operators (THABADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Charter Brokerage & Charter Management (Passenger) (THABADAL)
Keywords
Where Chair is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Glattbrugg
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Chair business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Passenger Ticket Sales: Core revenue from air transportation of passengers to leisure destinations across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Tickets available in three tariff tiers (Basic, Flex, Comfort) with varying flexibility and included services.
- Ancillary Services: Additional revenue from seat reservations, extra baggage, VIP packages, sports equipment transport, pet transportation, and priority services.
- Duty Free Sales: Onboard sales of perfumes, cosmetics, spirits, confectionery, and gifts at duty-free prices.
- Inflight Catering: Sale of meals, snacks, beverages, and pre-ordered menus prepared by Gate Gourmet using Swiss seasonal ingredients. Wine selection provided in partnership with Vergani.
- Charter Services: Partnerships with tour operators and travel agencies for charter flights, including special flights for sports clubs, corporate events, and ad-hoc charter requirements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Basic - Hand luggage only, no changes or refunds |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Flex - Checked baggage included, changeable with fee |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Comfort - Full flexibility with 32kg baggage and preferred seating |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Seat Reservations |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Extra Baggage |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sport Equipment |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pet Transportation |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | VIP Package |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Unaccompanied Minor Service |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Chair product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Chair Airlines operates scheduled leisure flights and charter services from Swiss airports (Zurich, Basel, Bern) to vacation destinations across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Tickets are sold directly through the chair.ch online platform and through travel agencies and tour operators, with optional paid add-ons including seat reservation, additional checked baggage, sports equipment handling, onboard catering, and priority services. The airline also offers complementary services such as personal-device inflight entertainment, group bookings, accessibility assistance, pet transport, unaccompanied minor handling, and partner-referred airport parking.
Product overview
Chair Airlines is a Swiss airline operating since mid-2019 with a single-class Economy configuration, offering direct flights primarily to leisure destinations in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. The company's core product is its online flight booking and management platform, supplemented by ancillary services including inflight entertainment (Chairtainment), onboard catering, duty-free shopping, VIP packages, seat reservations, and baggage services. The airline operates primarily from Zurich Airport with additional bases in Basel and Bern, serving destinations including Marrakesh, Porto, Greek islands (Rhodos, Kos, Crete, Mallorca), Egyptian resorts (Hurghada, Marsa Alam), Balkan cities (Tirana, Tuzla, Skopje, Ohrid, Prishtina), and Jerez de la Frontera. Special services include sports equipment transport, pet transportation, accessible travel assistance, and unaccompanied minor services. The company partners with Gate Gourmet for catering, Vergani for onboard wines, and operates a dedicated agency portal for travel partners.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Chairtainment: Inflight entertainment service offering movies, series, music, games, and flight information accessible via personal devices through the onboard network.
- VIP Package
Products and services
- Scheduled leisure flights Point-to-point passenger flights from Swiss airports (Zurich, Basel, Bern) to leisure destinations across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, sold directly online and via travel agencies.
- Charter flights for travel agencies and tour operators Block-seat and full-aircraft charter capacity sold to tour operators and travel agencies for package holidays, group travel, and ad-hoc series, operated from Swiss airports.
- Group bookings Dedicated booking service for organized groups traveling together, enabling coordinated reservations and special handling out of Swiss airports.
- Chairtainment (inflight entertainment) Browser-based inflight entertainment streamed to passengers' own personal devices, providing a seatback-free entertainment catalog on board without requiring dedicated hardware.
- Onboard catering Food and beverage offering available for purchase on board, supplied as an ancillary service during the flight.
- Onboard duty-free shopping Onboard retail assortment of duty-free goods offered to passengers during the flight.
- Pet transportation Paid service allowing passengers to transport pets in the cabin or hold subject to airline pet policy.
- Unaccompanied minor service Supervised travel service for children flying alone, with airline-provided oversight from origin to destination.
- Accessible travel services Assistance and accommodation services for passengers with reduced mobility or other accessibility needs during travel.
- Agency Portal (travel trade platform) Dedicated B2B portal enabling travel agencies and tour operators to book, manage, and invoice charter and scheduled inventory.
- Zurich Airport parking referral Referral service directing passengers to partner parking options at Zurich Airport for travelers driving to the airport.
Companies that use Chair
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Chair technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature3 records
Chair partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Gate GourmetcoreGate Gourmet serves as the catering partner for Chair Airlines, preparing fresh meals from seasonal Swiss ingredients shortly before each flight. The partnership provides hot meals, sandwiches, snacks, and special menu options including vegetarian choices.
- VerganiminorZurch family company (fifth generation, over 130 years) providing curated wine selection for onboard service. Works with winemakers from Italy and selected producers across Europe to supply wines matched to menus and destinations.
- Facebook (Website Custom Audience)minorSocial media marketing partnership using Facebook's Website Custom Audience tool for targeted advertising and marketing analytics.
- Swiss Travel Industry PartnerscoreClose collaboration with Swiss travel agencies, tourism boards, and destination area agencies. Core distribution channel for charter flights and package holidays.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Chair competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Smartwings: Czech leisure airline operating scheduled and charter flights to Mediterranean, North African, and Middle Eastern destinations from Central European bases. Comparable tour operator charter integration and leisure focus.
- Condor: German leisure airline operating from Frankfurt and other German airports to Mediterranean, North African, and long-haul leisure destinations. Comparable in fleet type, leisure customer focus, and tour operator charter model.
- SunExpress: Joint venture leisure airline between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, operating from Germany and Turkey to Mediterranean leisure destinations. Comparable fleet type and leisure charter/scheduled model.
- Edelweiss Air: Swiss leisure airline subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, also based at Zurich Airport and serving Mediterranean, North African, and long-haul leisure destinations. Closest direct peer given shared Swiss hub, leisure focus, and overlapping destination portfolio.
- easyJet Switzerland: Swiss-registered low-cost carrier operating from Geneva and Basel, competing directly with Chair on European leisure and VFR routes. Comparable single-class configuration, digital-first distribution, and price-led positioning.
- TUI fly: European leisure airline owned by TUI Group, serving holiday destinations from German, Belgian, Dutch, and French bases. Comparable in tour operator integration, single-class configuration, and leisure customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Eurowings: Lufthansa Group's leisure and low-cost subsidiary, operating a large short and long-haul leisure network from multiple German and European bases. Competes with Chair on overlapping Mediterranean and North African routes.
- Wizz Air: European ultra-low-cost carrier serving Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe with substantial VFR and leisure demand from Balkan diaspora markets overlapping with Chair's Prishtina, Skopje, and Ohrid routes.
- Pegasus Airlines: Turkish low-cost carrier with significant leisure and VFR traffic across Europe and the Middle East, including routes overlapping with Chair's Turkey-adjacent Mediterranean network. Larger scale but comparable unbundled fare model.
Emerging players
- Freebird Airlines: Turkish leisure/charter airline operating Airbus aircraft to Mediterranean, Red Sea, and European destinations. Comparable in size, leisure charter focus, and Mediterranean/Egyptian route overlap with Chair.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Chair social profiles
Digital presenceChair financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Chair leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Chair funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Chair M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Chair
What does Chair do?
Chair Airlines operates scheduled leisure flights and charter services from Swiss airports (Zurich, Basel, Bern) to vacation destinations across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Tickets are sold directly through the chair.ch online platform and through travel agencies and tour operators, with optional paid add-ons including seat reservation, additional checked baggage, sports equipment handling, onboard catering, and priority services. The airline also offers complementary services such as personal-device inflight entertainment, group bookings, accessibility assistance, pet transport, unaccompanied minor handling, and partner-referred airport parking.
Is Chair a public or private company?
Chair is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Chair founded?
Chair was founded in 2019. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Chair based?
Chair is headquartered in Glattbrugg, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Chair make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Passenger Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are ancillary Services, duty Free Sales, inflight Catering and charter Services.
Who are Chair's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Smartwings, Condor, SunExpress, Edelweiss Air, easyJet Switzerland and TUI fly. Broad incumbents are Eurowings, Wizz Air and Pegasus Airlines. Freebird Airlines is listed as an emerging player.
Does Chair have an API?
No public API is recorded for Chair.
What industry is Chair in?
Chair's product category is Leisure Air Travel. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THABADAB, Ad Hoc Passenger Charter Operators, with a secondary code of THABADAL, Charter Brokerage & Charter Management (Passenger). Its NAICS code is 481111 and its SIC code is 4512.