Ad Astra Aero
| Founded | 1919 |
|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1930 |
| Headquarters | Zürichhorn, Switzerland |
| Key people | Alfred Comte, Walter Mittelholzer, Emile Taddéoli |
Ad Astra Aero (Latin for "to the stars") was a Swiss airline based at Zürichhorn in Zürich.
Initiated by Oskar Bider and Fritz Rihner, in July 1919 the "Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Lufttourismus" (literally: Swiss corporation for air tourism) was established in Zürich]. Touristical flights with flying boats were planned from sites at Zürichhorn in Zürich-Riesbach, and in Genève, Interlaken/Thun, Locarno, Lugano, Luzern, Lausanne-Ouchy, Romanshorn and St. Moritz. Switzerland, with its numerous lakes, appeared predestined for the use of seaplanes, so that no expensive airports would have to be built. Oskar Bider was killed in an accident before the ambitious project was realized. The driving forces of the latter Ad Astra Aero company were the Swiss aviation pioneers Walter Mittelholzer and Alfred Comte. Using Junkers F.13, Comte and Mittelholzer undertook flights over the Alps, Ticino, Matterhorn, the Bernese Alps in late summer 1919, and on 11 September 1919 they succeeded in the crossing of the Mont Blanc (el. 4,807 metres (15,771 ft)).
On December 15 1919 Ad Astra Aero S.A. was registered as an Aktiengesellschaft, and on 24 February 1920 Ad Astra Aero merged with the airlines Frick & Co and Aero-Gesellschaft Comte Mittelholzer & Co to form Ad Astra Aero AG in Zürich. Alfred Comte was appointed by the board as chief pilot for land planes and Walter Mittelholzer as head of the aerial photography department. On 21 April 1920 Avion Tourisme SA in Geneva was bought and the share capital was doubled to 600,000 Swiss francs. Following the recent merger, the company was renamed in Ad Astra Aero, Avion Tourisme S. A. (Schweiz. Luftverkehrs A.-G.). Flight stations were held in Bern, Geneva, Lugano, Romanshorn and Zürich (Zürichhorn and Schwamendingen).
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