Start-up virtual carrier PowdAir (Sion) has delayed the sale of tickets for its proposed Swiss ski holiday routes, but has set December 14 as its commencement date.

Hoping to capitalise on the niche ski market, PowdAir will offer flights to Sion from the UK – London Luton 5x weekly, London Southend 2x weekly, Bristol International 3x weekly, Manchester International 2x weekly, Southampton 4x weekly, and Edinburgh 2x weekly – as well as from Hamburg Helmut Schmidt in Germany, and Antwerp in Belgium. Flight tickets will include the transport of ski equipment.

"We strongly believe that these airports are best placed to help skiers and snowboarders reach some of the best resorts in the Alps that have been traditionally harder to get to," Zoe Ombler, PowdAir's Head of marketing, is quoted in The Telegraph as saying.

Aircraft will be based in Sion, but the company itself is headquartered in Dublin.

Flights will be operated on board chartered aircraft, although PowdAir was not able to provide details at this time.