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| Europe | |
| Turf war shakes crisis-hit Geneva limo business | |
| 2009-04-09 | |
But now local limousine operators are feeling the pinch as the financial crisis bites and a turf war claims a big client, the Saudi royal family -- which normally mobilises limousines by the dozens if not hundreds during trips here. "The profession in Geneva is devastated," Hassan Azed, head of a local association of limousine operators (AGELLMC), told AFP. Memories are still redolent of late Saudi King Fahd's stay in his mansion in the plush Geneva suburb of Collonge-Bellerive in 2002, which mobilised several jumbo airliners and 300 limousines, many of them leased directly from Germany to make up for the shortfall. But a mooted trip by 81-year-old Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, Fahd's son, in late spring is leaving a different flavour. Geneva's limousine operators are up in arms because "foreign intermediaries" will reportedly be muscling in on local business by bringing along more than 60 cars from Germany for the Saudis, bypassing local firms. Normally imports are only allowed once the local market is saturated, Azed claimed. "It was done by the rulebook when King Fahd came in 2002," said Azed. "In this instance we're presented with a done thing." | |
| Posted by:Seafarious |