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Flag carrier of Switzerland
"SWISS" and "Swiss Airlines" redirect here. For other uses, seeSwiss. For the flag carrier of Switzerland before 2002, seeSwissair.
The airline was formed following the bankruptcy in 2002 ofSwissair, Switzerland's then-flag carrier. The new airline was built around what had been Swissair's regional subsidiary,Crossair.Swiss retains Crossair'sIATA codeLX (Swissair's code wasSR). It assumed Swissair's oldICAO code ofSWR (Crossair's wasCRX), to maintain international traffic rights.
Swiss was formed after the 2002 bankruptcy ofSwissair, Switzerland's former flag carrier.[10] Forty percent of Crossair's income came from Swissair.[11] The new airline lost US$1.6 billion from 2002 to 2005. Swissair's biggest creditors,Credit Suisse andUBS, sold part of Swissair's assets to Crossair, which had been Swissair's regional counterpart. At the time, both Swissair and Crossair were part of the same holding company, SAirGroup. Crossair later changed its name toSwiss International Air Lines, and the new national airline officially started operations on 31 March 2002. The airline was initially owned by institutional investors (61.3%), theSwiss Confederation (20.3%),cantons andcommunities (12.2%), and others (6.2%). Swiss also owns subsidiaries Swiss Sun (100%) andCrossair Europe (99.9%). It has a total of 7,383 employees.[12]
According to Marcel Biedermann, the managing director of intercontinental markets for Swiss, there were three possibilities: stay independent as a niche carrier, shrink to an unrecognisable level, or attach to another airline group. The last choice was taken. Swiss talked toAir France–KLM,British Airways, andLufthansa. However, Swiss was tied up with debt and an uncertain future and seemed to be an unattractive investment. After merging withKLM,Air France said they were too busy to deal with the Swiss joining them[dubious –discuss].British Airways was open, andOneworld partners thoughtZurich Airport would be a viable alternative hub forLondon Heathrow.
After almost a year of disputes, Swiss was finally accepted into theOneworldairline alliance, after having been blocked byBritish Airways, which competes with Swiss on many long-haul routes. On 3 June 2004, Swiss announced its decision not to joinOneworld because they did not want to integrate their currentfrequent flyer program intoBritish Airways'Executive Club. Furthermore, Swiss thought the relationship was one-sided, where British Airways sapped out the benefits of the airline, but they would get no return.
The airline annually halved its losses, and in 2006 recorded a net profit of $220 million. The net profit for 2007 was $570 million.[13] Biedermann stated in the March 2008 edition ofAirways, that "this was the beginning of getting our house back in order." He said that help was needed and looked up to Lufthansa as a comparison, so their coming together was natural, even with their differences. Even with the smaller network, Swiss carried the same number of passengers as it did in 2002.
On 22 March 2005,Lufthansa Group confirmed its plan to take over Swiss, starting with a minority stake (11%) in a new company set up to hold Swiss shares called Air Trust.Swiss operations were gradually integrated with Lufthansa's in late 2005, and the takeover was completed on 1 July 2007. Swiss joinedStar Alliance and became a member of Lufthansa'sMiles and More frequent flyer program on 1 April 2006.[14]
The airline set up aregional airline subsidiary calledSwiss European Air Lines. The carrier had its own air operator's certificate. Two divisions – Swiss Aviation Training and Swiss WorldCargo (using the belly capacity of passenger planes) – are also owned by Swiss. Swiss European Air Lines (later renamed Swiss Global Air Lines) has since ceased operations and merged with its parent, Swiss.
In 2008, Swiss International Air Lines acquiredEdelweiss Air[15][16] and Servair,[17] later renamedSwiss Private Aviation. In February 2011, Swiss Private Aviation ceased operations as a result of restructuring. The company recommended using Lufthansa Private Jet Service instead.[18]
In 2007, Swiss ordered nineAirbus A330-300s to gradually replace existing A330-200s and have three-class seating. The first A330-300 was put into service on the flagship Zürich to New York-JFK route in April 2009.[19] In spring 2010 Swiss operated five A330-300s on medium and long-haul routes. The remaining four A330-300 aircraft joined the fleet in 2011.
Following Lufthansa Group's takeover,[20] the regional fleet was changed from Crossair'sEmbraerERJs,Saab 340s, and2000s toAvro RJs, which were flown by a wholly ownedsubsidiary,Swiss Global Air Lines. The rest of the fleet was rationalised and now mainly consists of Airbus aircraft, apart from theBoeing 777. Swiss also renegotiated their supplier contracts, includingground handling,maintenance, food service, and labour. Swiss shareholders received a performance-based option for their shares. The payment was in 2008, and the amount depended on how well Lufthansa's shares compared with competitors' shares. Lufthansa continues to maintain Swiss as a separate brand.
In 2010, Swiss and Lufthansa were named in aEuropean Commission investigation into price-fixing but were not fined due to acting as awhistleblower.[21]
On 18 August 2011, Swiss introduced a new company logo[22] which resembled the logo of the defunctSwissair.[23]
Swiss was severely affected by theCOVID-19 pandemic. It reported revenues for 2020 of CHF 1.85 billion, which were 65.2% below its prior-year level.[24]
In August 2020, Swiss received a CHF1.5 billion ($1.65 billion) state-backed loan from the Swiss government to weather the pandemic. The use of Swiss state funds was criticized by some commentators because Swiss is a fully owned subsidiary of German airline Lufthansa, making questions regarding its survival the responsibility of the German government, which had similarly lent a helping hand to Lufthansa during the pandemic.[25]
On 18 November 2020, it was announced that Dieter Vranckx would assume the position of CEO as of 1 January 2021. Vranckx has 20 years of experience within the Lufthansa Group and has been CEO of Lufthansa Group memberBrussels Airlines since the start of 2020.[5]
In June 2024, it was announced that Vranckx would step down by the end of the month and be replaced by German national andLufthansa CityLine Managing Director, Jens Fehlinger.[26] Fehlinger will assume office in October 2024, and until then Swiss will be temporarily led by Head of Commercial, Heike Birlenbach. Dieter Vranckx transferred to the executive board of parent company Lufthansa on 1 July 2024, and remains with Swiss as vice chairman of its board of directors.[26]
On 16 January 2025, it was reported that Swiss will resume its flight operation toTel Aviv from 1 February 2025. The airline will fly daily fromZurich to Tel Aviv using itsAirbus A320 aircraft.[27]
Swiss International Air Lines has its operational headquarters atEuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg[36][37] nearBasel,Switzerland.[12] TheFrench-Swiss airport is located on French territory and has customs-free access toSwitzerland.[38] The Swiss head office is located in the Swiss section of the airport, and it is only accessible from Switzerland.[39] According to the commercial register, the legal seat is in Basel itself.[40]
Swiss International Air Lines' head office was previously the head office ofCrossair. In 2002 the "Crossair" sign on the building was replaced by a "Swiss International Air Lines" one.[41] As of 2004 the Basel area offices housed about 1,000 employees, while the Zurich area offices housed about 850 employees. When Swiss started as a company, about 1,400-1,500 worked at the Basel offices.[42]
On European flights, Swiss serves drinks. Depending on the time of day and the duration of the flight, Swiss may also serve snacks. Cold snacks are served on shorter flights, and hot ones on longer flights. Economy class on short-haul flights only include a bottle of water and a small bar of Swiss chocolate branded with the word "SWISS" and the distinctive tail fin is provided to passengers before landing on all flights. For its short- to mid-haul flight out ofGeneva Airport andZürich Airport, SWISS offers a culinary buy-on-board system calledSwiss Saveurs.[45]
All aircraft were operated bySwiss Global Air Lines until the subsidiary ceased operations in April 2018.[83] To be retrofitted with SWISS Senses interior.[84]
Total
94
18
Additionally,Helvetic Airways operates tenEmbraer E190s on behalf of Swiss. Following Helvetic Airways' acquisition of the type, Helvetic Airways will also operate Embraer 190-E2 aircraft on behalf of Swiss.[85]
On 22 September 2010, Lufthansa announced an order for 48 new aircraft, several of them for Swiss.[86]
In March 2013, Swiss ordered sixBoeing 777-300ERs. On 12 March 2015, Swiss confirmed Lufthansa Group had ordered an additional three Boeing 777-300ERs for Swiss.[87] The 777s will be operated by, and leased back from, Swiss Global Air Lines.[88] Swiss has confirmed that all 777-300ERs will have an updated First Class cabin with eight private suites and a 32-inch TV, 62 business class seats which convert into a fully flat bed that is over two meters long, and 270 economy seats, with 10 seats abreast in a 3-4-3 layout, using the same seat pitch and width on its A330s and A340s on the 777s.[89] The first of these new airliners was delivered in January 2016.[90] The Boeing aircraft will replace most of Swiss' A340 aircraft while the remaining five A340s were refurbished.
In 2014, Swiss announced it would refurbish its A320 fleet, with new interiors and the older A320s and A321s were to be replaced by A320/A321neos. The A319s and Swiss Global Air Lines' Avro fleet, were replaced by Bombardier CS300 aircraft. The last Avro RJ100 aircraft, HB-IYZ, completed its final flight, LX7545 from Geneva to Zurich on 15 August 2017.[91]
Swiss' firstAirbus A220, then known as the Bombardier CS300, entered service on 1 June 2017, with its maiden commercial flight from Geneva to London–Heathrow. Swiss was the launch customer of the Airbus A220 family (formerly known as Bombardier CSeries), with its first CSeries aircraft, a CS100 (A220-100), delivered to the airline in June 2016 and registered HB-JBA. The first commercial flight performed led from Zurich toParis-Charles de Gaulle.[92]
The Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A220-100/-300 (Bombardier CS100/CS300) aircraft were operated bySwiss Global Air Lines until the subsidiary ceased operations in April 2018, in an attempt to lower administration costs and simplify Swiss' fleet structuring.[83]
Adria Airways operated twoSaab 2000s on the Zurich-Lugano route, which was suspended after Adria's bankruptcy on 30 September 2019.[93]
In December 2024, it was reported that Swiss will be receiving a further fiveAirbus A350-900 widebody long-haul aircraft from 2027 onwards, on top of another five aircraft which are on order, with gradual delivery between the summer of 2025 to 2031.[94]
On 9 October 2025 the firstAirbus A350-900 arrived in Zurich, with its first regular flight toBoston scheduled for late November.[95][96]
On 10 July 2002,Swiss International Air Lines Flight 850, aSaab 2000, crashed at Werneuchen Airfield due to improper weather information and improper markings on the runway, resulting in the collapse of the landing gear and fire spreading throughout the aircraft. Though everyone on board survived, the aircraft was written off.[98]
On 23 December 2024, anAirbus A220-300 (HB-JCD), operating asSwiss International Air Lines Flight 1885 fromBucharest toZurich had to make an emergency landing atGraz Airport due to smoke development in the cabin.[99] The aircraft was evacuated using the emergency slides,[100] and 17 passengers and 5 crew members were hospitalized. SWISS announced on 30 December 2024 that one of the flight attendants had died in the hospital.[101]
^"Facts and figures". Swiss International Air Lines.Archived from the original on 11 March 2017. Retrieved19 April 2017.
^"Impressum" [Imprint].Swiss International Air Lines (in German). Archived fromthe original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved22 June 2010.Rechtssitz der Gesellschaft Swiss International Air Lines AG Malzgasse 15 CH-4052 Basel. [Legal headquarters of the company Swiss International Air Lines AG Malzgasse 15 CH-4052 Basel.]
^"SWISS unveils foundation for solid future". Swiss International Air Lines. Archived fromthe original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved1 July 2010.The Annual Results Press Conference takes place at 11:00, Tuesday, 23 March at the SWISS head office at Basel EuroAirport.
^"Swiss International Air Lines Basel"(PDF). Swiss International Air Lines. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 25 July 2011. Retrieved24 September 2009. ATTENTION! It is only possible to reach SWISS at the EuroAirport Basel via the Swiss customs or the customs-free road!
^"Industry Briefs". Airline Industry Information. 2 July 2002. Archived fromthe original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved12 January 2010. According to a company statement, the new name replaces Crossair at the corporate headquarters in Basel.
^"Wenn die Direktion geht, folgt dann der Rest?" [If the management leaves, will the rest follow?](PDF).Basler Zeitung (in German). No. 173. 27 July 2004. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 8 March 2012. Retrieved2 July 2010.Ursprünglich arbeiteten am Hauptsitz in Basel rund 1400 bis 1500 Leute, heute sind es noch rund 1000 (das fliegende Personal nicht mitgezählt) – der meiste Teil der Stellen fiel der Restrukturierung vom letzten Jahr zum Opfer. In Zürich arbeiten derzeit rund 850 Personen am Boden. [Originally around 1,400 to 1,500 people worked at the headquarters in Basel, today there are around 1,000 (not counting the flying staff) - most of the positions fell victim to last year's restructuring. Around 850 people are currently working on the ground in Zurich.]
^"SWISStours, a 100% subsidiary of Swiss International Air Lines". SWISStours.Archived from the original on 15 July 2017. Retrieved25 June 2019.Since 1997, SWISStours offers booking of hotels, apartments, rail passes, packages, and sightseeing in Switzerland, Europe, and other countries across the world.
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