People's Airline to use Helvetic Airways aircraft during maintenance

Austrian regional airline People's Airline will temporarily suspend its own flight operations starting October 27 due to the scheduled maintenance of its only aircraft, an Embraer E170. The jet, based at Altenrhein Airport in Switzerland, must travel to Düsseldorf for an extensive inspection focusing on its landing gear and airframe structure.

While the duration of the maintenance is currently unclear, CEO Thomas Krutzler noted that additional repairs could extend the downtime. To maintain the airline's primary year-round route between Vienna and Altenrhein, Swiss carrier Helvetic Airways will step in using an Embraer E190.

Although the replacement Embraer E190 offers more seating capacity than the original 76-seat aircraft, it cannot operate at full payload due to weight restrictions imposed by the runway at Altenrhein. The airline stated that the costs for the replacement service have been budgeted and planned.