Beat H. Perren, passed away

A life dedicated to innovation, alpine helicopter rescue and people.

Beat Perren passed away on 29 July 2025 at the age of 95. With his passing, the Valais region has lost a pioneer and Air Zermatt has lost its founder, patron and friend. In 1968, Beat Perren, then a pharmacist in Zermatt, founded Air Zermatt, driven by an unwavering inventive spirit and a deep desire to better help people in the mountains. What began with just a few employees developed under his leadership into a globally renowned helicopter company. The history of Air Zermatt is inextricably linked to the name Beat Perren: a story of pioneering spirit and commitment.

His name stands for numerous groundbreaking developments in alpine rescue: pioneering methods that made operations faster, safer and more successful. Countless lives have been saved thanks to his vision and actions. Beat inspired us employees, promoted ideas, demanded courage and thus shaped a corporate culture that serves as a role model far beyond the Valais.

Beat was a patron; someone who felt responsible: for us employees, our families and the big picture. Approachable, interested, with an alert mind and always on the move. Standing still was foreign to him, except when he was with his loved ones.

On the 50th anniversary of Air Zermatt, he stepped back a little and handed over the chairmanship of the board of directors to his son Philipp. But his spirit remained. Until the very end, Beat followed the events surrounding ‘his’ Air Zermatt with keen interest. Beat Perren was a phenomenon; a forward thinker, a doer, a person with attitude and heart.