Foundation Deed
- The Verein Schweizerische Rettungsflugwacht – hereafter referred to as the Swiss Air-Rescue Association – hereby constitutes an independent, humanitarian and non-profit foundation pursuant to Art. 80 ff. of the Swiss Civil Code (SCC).
- The purpose of the Foundation is to help people in distress and in need of assistance, in accordance with the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross. It is particularly involved in the rescue of and provision of emergency assistance to seriously injured or ill persons, as well as in accident prevention. In addition, it may employ its resources to help socially oppressed persons.
- The Foundation may also delegate tasks to other organisations. It is empowered to create new organisations and to support existing ones.
- The founder shall transfer to the Foundation assets as set out on a list dated 3 May 1979. Additional donations may be endowed to the Foundation at any time. The assets of the Foundation shall be increased by means of revenue generated by its activities and the assets themselves, as well as by means of voluntary donations by third parties. The Foundation Board may also procure funding by other means. The liabilities of the Foundation are solely limited to its assets.
- The supreme body of the Foundation is the Foundation Board. The Foundation Board and any other organs are governed by a set of regulations laid down by the founder at the time the Foundation is established. These regulations also specify the implementation of the other provisions contained in the Foundation Deed.
- In the event that the purpose of the Foundation ceases to become attainable (Art. 88, Para. 1, SCC), the entire existing assets shall be transferred to other Swiss humanitarian and non-profit institutions. The Foundation Board, with the approval of two-thirds of its members, shall determine to which institutions and for what amount the assets shall be allocated.
Foundation Regulations
Article 1 Name and registered office
Schweizerische Rettungsflugwacht (Rega) Garde aérienne suisse de sauvetage (Rega) Guardia aerea svizzera di soccorso (Rega) Swiss Air-Rescue (Rega) is an independent, humanitarian, and non-profit foundation pursuant to Art. 80 ff of the Swiss Civil Code (SCC) and has its registered office in Kloten.
Article 2 Purpose
Rega’s purpose is to help people in distress and in need of assistance in accordance with the principles of the Red Cross, without discrimination on grounds of person, financial circumstances, social status, nationality, race, religious beliefs, or political opinions.
Rega can furthermore transact any business suitable for promoting or facilitating the fulfilment of this purpose.
The Foundation can, in particular, participate in other business ventures in Switzerland and abroad, set up subsidiary organisations and/or subsidiary companies at home and abroad, and acquire, encumber, hold and dispose of property.
Article 3 Tasks
Rega provides assistance wherever its intervention can serve to maintain, preserve or protect human life or health. In addition, it can deploy its resources to help the socially oppressed.
Rega is responsible for organising and carrying out flights using helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft and assists in the event of accidents, illness or disasters.
Rega is a humanitarian foundation which provides its services in partnership with funding bodies and with the support of its patrons. Emergency deployments and operations for the benefit of the public are not conditional upon whether or not costs are covered.
Rega collaborates with rescue organisations and authorities. In particular, it also participates in scientific projects relating to air rescue.
Rega takes and supports measures designed to fulfil its purpose in the light of the latest scientific and technical knowledge. It can also support activities in the areas of medicine, rescue, disaster relief and accident prevention.
The Foundation Board may decide to extend the Foundation’s duties within the scope of its general purpose.
Article 4 Operations Center
In order to fulfil its duties, Rega runs an Operations Center 24 hours a day, for 365 days a year, which can be contacted at any time by anyone requiring emergency assistance. The Operations Center organises assistance and coordinates the resources to be deployed. It can also offer advice relating to matters within the scope of Rega’s activities.
Article 5 Operational readiness
Rega ensures continuous, appropriate readiness for operation and the availability of its resources, so that emergency assistance can be provided at any time
Article 6 Relationship with the Swiss Air-Rescue Association
The Swiss Air-Rescue Association is the founder of Rega. Its purpose is to promote the field of rescue in general and support the aims of Rega in particular.
The Swiss Air-Rescue Association is a forum for persons and organisations that are involved in air rescue or working in collaboration with Rega. Rega can promote the Association where this serves its needs.
Article 7 Financing
Patrons and donors support the humanitarian and non-profit work carried out by Rega by means of patrons’ contributions and donations.
Wherever possible, costs of operations are invoiced to a funding body.
Article 8 Governing bodies
The Foundation’s governing bodies are:
- the Foundation Board
- the Executive Committee of the Foundation Board
- the Finance Commission
- the Medical Commission
- the Management Board
- the Auditor
Article 9 Foundation Board
The Foundation Board comprises at least seven and a maximum of eleven members.
The members of the Foundation Board are elected by the Foundation Board. The Executive Committee of the Foundation Board proposes motions.
The term of office for members of the Foundation Board, the Executive Committee and the commissions is one year.
Re-election is possible up to the age of 70. In exceptional cases, the Foundation Board can take decisions on exceptions.
Article 10 Members of the Foundation Board
The Foundation Board should comprise a well-balanced group of individuals representing the areas of aviation, medicine, rescue, humanitarian work, operational partners, business and politics, as well as both sexes and the various regions and language communities. The interpersonal and technical expertise of its members ensures that this collegiate body has the mix of skills necessary to perform its work.
Employees of the Rega Foundation and of directly and indirectly affiliated companies and organisations cannot become members of the Rega Foundation Board.
Article 11 Executive Committee of the Foundation Board
The Foundation Board elects a committee from among its members with at least three and a maximum of five members and defines their tasks and competencies. The Chairman, Vice-Chairman, the Chairman of the Finance Commission and the Chairman of the Medical Commission are represented on the committee. The Chairman of the Foundation Board is the chairman of the committee, and the Vice-Chairman is the deputy.
The Executive Committee of the Foundation Board plays a coordinating role within the Foundation Board. It establishes the prerequisites for an interdisciplinary approach at a strategic level that governs the decisions and actions of the Foundation Board.
The Executive Committee of the Foundation Board meets as often as its business requires.
Article 12 Committees
The Foundation Board can establish permanent ccommittees and working groups. It determines their tasks and competencies.
The Finance and Medical Committees are permanent commissions.
Article 13 Competencies
The Foundation Board is the supreme body of the Foundation.
It defines the tasks and competencies of the other bodies.
It approves an annual report, giving an account of the Foundation’s activities, for the attention of the supervisory authority and the general public.
It issues the organisational regulations of the Foundation.
Article 14 Meetings of the Foundation Board
The Foundation Board meets at least twice a year
- at the invitation of the Chairman or the Vice Chairman, or
- at the request of the CEO/Chairman of the Senior Management, or
- at the request of at least three members of the Foundation Board.
When dealing with matters that affect the personal interests of a member of the Foundation Board, this member must abstain from the proceedings.
Article 15 Passing resolutions
The Foundation Board, the Executive Committee and the various committees may pass resolutions when at least half of the members are present at a meeting. Votes may not be cast in writing, and it is not possible to appoint a proxy if a member is absent. Resolutions may be passed by circular letter unless one member makes a written request for a discussion.
The bodies pass their resolutions by a simple majority of votes. In the case of a tied vote, the Chairman has the casting vote.
The election of members to the Foundation Board is governed by separate provisions (organisational regulations).
Minutes shall be kept.
Article 16 Management Board
The Foundation Board delegates management to the Management Board, unless the law, the deed of foundation or these regulations stipulate otherwise.
The Foundation Board appoints the CEO/Chairman of the Management Board, the Medical Director and the Head of the Services Division/Chief Financial Officer as members of the Management Board.
The CEO/Chairman of the Management Board, the Medical Director and the Head of the Services Division/Chief Financial Officer participate in the meetings of the Foundation Board and the committee in an advisory capacity and have the right to propose motions. The appointment of other members of the Management Board is defined in the management regulations.
Article 17 Auditor
The Foundation Board will appoint an auditor that is independent of its members and of the Foundation.
The auditor examines the accounts and the annual financial statements. It reports on these to the Foundation Board for the attention of the appropriate supervisory authority and the general public.
Article 18 Amendments to the Foundation Regulations
The Foundation Board can amend the Foundation Regulations with a two-thirds majority of the Foundation Board members.
Article 19 Subsidiary provisions
Unless these regulations contain provisions indicating otherwise or provisions that are in conflict with prevailing law, the relevant provisions of the Swiss Civil Code as well as, in the alternative, the relevant provisions of the fourth section (commercial register, trading names, and maintenance of commercial accounting records) of the Swiss Code of Obligations apply.
Article 20 Validity
These regulations were issued by the General Assembly of the Swiss Air-Rescue Association on 12 May 1979. Since then, they have been revised by the Foundation Board on several occasions, most recently on 25 March 2026.
This revision was signed by the current Chairman of the Foundation Board and approved by the Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations of the FDHA on 19 May 2026.
Deed and Regulations of the Foundation