Swiss International Air Lines
Encyclopedia
Swiss International Air Lines AG (short: Swiss) is the principal airline
of Switzerland
operating scheduled services in Europe and to North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Its main hub is Zurich Airport (ZRH). The airline was formed after the 2002 bankruptcy of Swissair
, Switzerland's former flag carrier
.
Swiss is a subsidiary of the German
airline
Lufthansa
, with headquarters at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
near Basel
, Switzerland, and an office at Zurich Airport in Kloten
, Switzerland
. The company's registered office is in Basel.
The airline uses the IATA Code LX that it inherited from the Swiss regional airline Crossair
(Swissair
's code was SR). The ICAO code is SWR, inherited from Swissair
(Crossair's was CRX), in order to keep international traffic rights.
, Switzerland's former flag carrier
. Crossair had 40% of its income come from the defunct Swissair
. In its first year the new airline's losses totaled $
1.6 billion from startup until 2005. Swissair's biggest creditors, Credit Suisse
and UBS
, sold part of Swissair's assets to Crossair, the regional counterpart to the transatlantic Swissair. At the time, both Swissair and Crossair were under the same holding company, called SAirGroup. Crossair later changed its name to Swiss, and the new national airline started its operations officially on 31 March 2002. The airline was first owned by institutional investors (61.3%), Swiss Confederation (20.3%), cantons and communities (12.2%) and others (6.2%). Swiss also owns subsidiary companies Swiss Sun (100%) and Crossair Europe
(99.9%). It has a total of 7383 employees.
According to Marcel Biedermann, the managing director intercontinental markets for Swiss, there were three possibilities: stay independent as a niche carrier, shrink to an unrecognisable level, or attach onto another airline group. The last choice was taken. Swiss talked to Air France-KLM
, British Airways
, and Lufthansa
. However, Swiss was tied up with debt and an uncertain future, and seemed to be an unattractive investment. After merging with KLM, Air France said they were too busy to deal with Swiss joining them. Lufthansa wanted to take over, but the Swiss people did not want that. British Airways was open, and Oneworld
partners thought Zurich Airport
would be a viable alternative hub for London Heathrow.
After almost a year of disputes, Swiss was finally accepted into the Oneworld
airline alliance
, after having been blocked by British Airways
, which competes with Swiss on many long-haul routes. On 3 June 2004, Swiss announced its decision not to join Oneworld because they did not want to integrate their current frequent flyer program
into British 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.
On 22 March 2005 Lufthansa Group confirmed its plan to take over Swiss, starting with a minority stake (11%) of a new company set up to hold Swiss shares called Air Trust. The Swiss operations were gradually integrated with Lufthansa's from late 2005, and the takeover was completed on 1 July 2007. Swiss joined the Star Alliance
and became a member of Lufthansa's Miles and More frequent flyer program on 1 April 2006.
The airline has set up a regional airline
subsidiary called Swiss European Air Lines
. This carrier has its own air operator's certificate. The two independently operating divisions Swiss Aviation Training and Swiss WorldCargo (using the belly capacity of passenger planes) are also owned by Swiss.
In 2008 Swiss International Air Lines acquired Edelweiss Air
and Servair - now Swiss Private Aviation
. From February 2011, Swiss Private Aviation ceased to operate as a result of internal reconstruction. The company recommended Lufthansa Private Jet Service as a succedaneum.
The Swiss brand is highly respected by travellers, as can be seen by the company coming top of the upmarket Condé Nast Traveler
readers' survey
for short haul flights in 2008.
In 2007 Swiss placed an order for 9 Airbus 330-300 aircraft to eventually replace the existing fleet of 9 A330-200s. The A333 is more environmentally friendly and has three-class seating. From April 2009 as each A330-300 arrives, a A330-200 is retired from the fleet. The first A330-300 jet was put into service from Zurich to New York (JFK). In spring 2010 Swiss operated five A330-300s on routes from Geneva to New York (JFK), and Zurich to New York (JFK), Delhi, Mumbai, Muscat via Dubai. From April 2010 the A330-300 flies from Zurich to Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Yaoundé and Douala. The remaining 4 A330-300 aircraft are to join the fleet in 2011 .
ERJs and Saab
s to Avro RJs, which are flown by a wholly owned subsidiary
, Swiss European Air Lines
. The rest of the fleet, apart from the regional jets, was also rationalised and is now all Airbus.
The airline reconstruction also caused Swiss to renegotiate their supplier contracts, which include ground handling, maintenance, food service, and labour.
The shareholders of Swiss received a performance-based option for their shares. Payment will be in 2008, and the amount will depend on how well Lufthansa's shares compare with competitors' shares. Lufthansa continues to maintain Swiss as a separate brand.
In 2010, Swiss and Lufthansa were named in a European Commission
investigation into price-fixing, but was not fined due to acting as a whistleblower.
in an attempt to win back market share from budget airlines using the airport.
Star Alliance
member airline
SkyTeam
member airline
, is the first to follow this scheme, as Bern.
Six Airbus A340
aircraft were added to the fleet, the first of which is an ex-Air Canada
plane. Three more ex-Air Canada A340s were added along with two ex-Austrian Airlines
A340s, to increase frequencies on existing routes and to launch new routes in summer 2008.
Two Airbus A330
aircraft were also added to the fleet. The first one replaced an Airbus A300-600
in November 2006 which was leased from Hapag-Lloyd, and the second was added in mid-December 2006: both to increase route frequencies.
The short-haul fleet is also expected to expand with plans, confirmed in September 2006, to add two Airbus A321
and one Airbus A320
aircraft. To serve the shorthaul market, Swiss added 2 additional Airbus A320
aircraft to their fleet earlier than planned. The aircraft were added in Autumn 2007 and were not new-build aircraft, but rather former Swissair aircraft that were leased for six years.
In addition to Swiss' own fleet, a number of codeshare agreements are in effect. These include 3 Fokker 100 aircraft operated by Swiss airline Helvetic Airways
, two Fokker 100s operated by Lufthansa Regional
partner Contact Air
, and one Saab 2000
operated by Swiss regional airline Darwin Airline
. These aircraft operate from Zurich on routes to Birmingham, Manchester, Prague, Warsaw, Brussels and Lugano.
On 20 September 2007 Lufthansa
confirmed an order for 41 aircraft. Two of the A320s and the 9 A330 aircraft are intended for Swiss.
On 11 March 2009, Swiss announced that, in 2014, it plans to gradually replace the current RJ100 fleet with aircraft of the Bombardier CSeries
. The replacement of the current 20 aircraft is planned to take two years, while an additional 10 aircraft will be delivered thereafter to allow for capacity expansion. The new aircraft will allow Swiss to continue serving restricted destinations such as London City Airport
. The Lufthansa Group is a launch customer for this aircraft type.
One MD-11
aircraft formerly used by Swiss had the Chinese character Ruì (瑞), from the Chinese translation of Switzerland, Ruìshì (瑞士), on the tail fin instead of the cross. It came from the former Swissair subsidiary Swissair Asia, which was formed to allow for Swissair to serve the Republic of China(Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China.
On 22 September 2010, Lufthansa
announced an order for 48 new planes. Five of the ordered A330-300, two A320, and two A321 aircraft are intended to be delivered to Swiss starting in 2012.
near Basel
, Switzerland
. EuroAirport, a French
-Swiss binational airport, is physically located in France and has direct access to Switzerland
. The Swiss head office is located in the Swiss section of the airport, and it is only accessible from Switzerland.
The current Swiss International Air Lines head office was formerly the head office of Crossair
. In 2002 the name "Crossair" was replaced with "Swiss International Air Lines" on the head office building. 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.
.
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
operating scheduled services in Europe and to North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Its main hub is Zurich Airport (ZRH). The airline was formed after the 2002 bankruptcy of Swissair
Swissair
Swissair AG was the former national airline of Switzerland.It was formed from a merger between Balair and Ad Astra Aero , in 1931...
, Switzerland's former flag carrier
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
.
Swiss is a subsidiary of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
, with headquarters at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is an international airport northwest of Basel , southeast of Mulhouse , and south of Freiburg . It is located in France, on the administrative territory of the commune of Saint-Louis near the Swiss and German borders...
near Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland, and an office at Zurich Airport in Kloten
Kloten
-External links:* -References:...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The company's registered office is in Basel.
The airline uses the IATA Code LX that it inherited from the Swiss regional airline Crossair
Crossair
Crossair Ltd. Co. for Regional European Air Transport was a regional airline headquartered on the grounds of EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg in Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin, France, near Basel, Switzerland...
(Swissair
Swissair
Swissair AG was the former national airline of Switzerland.It was formed from a merger between Balair and Ad Astra Aero , in 1931...
's code was SR). The ICAO code is SWR, inherited from Swissair
Swissair
Swissair AG was the former national airline of Switzerland.It was formed from a merger between Balair and Ad Astra Aero , in 1931...
(Crossair's was CRX), in order to keep international traffic rights.
Beginnings
The airline was formed after the 2002 bankruptcy of SwissairSwissair
Swissair AG was the former national airline of Switzerland.It was formed from a merger between Balair and Ad Astra Aero , in 1931...
, Switzerland's former flag carrier
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
. Crossair had 40% of its income come from the defunct Swissair
Swissair
Swissair AG was the former national airline of Switzerland.It was formed from a merger between Balair and Ad Astra Aero , in 1931...
. In its first year the new airline's losses totaled $
Dollar sign
The dollar or peso sign is a symbol primarily used to indicate the various peso and dollar units of currency around the world.- Origin :...
1.6 billion from startup until 2005. Swissair's biggest creditors, Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse
The Credit Suisse Group AG is a Swiss multinational financial services company headquartered in Zurich, with more than 250 branches in Switzerland and operations in more than 50 countries.-History:...
and UBS
UBS AG
UBS AG is a Swiss global financial services company headquartered in Basel and Zürich, Switzerland, which provides investment banking, asset management, and wealth management services for private, corporate, and institutional clients worldwide, as well as retail clients in Switzerland...
, sold part of Swissair's assets to Crossair, the regional counterpart to the transatlantic Swissair. At the time, both Swissair and Crossair were under the same holding company, called SAirGroup. Crossair later changed its name to Swiss, and the new national airline started its operations officially on 31 March 2002. The airline was first owned by institutional investors (61.3%), Swiss Confederation (20.3%), cantons and communities (12.2%) and others (6.2%). Swiss also owns subsidiary companies Swiss Sun (100%) and Crossair Europe
Crossair Europe
thumb|right|250px|Saab 340 of Crossair Europe at Düsseldorf International AirportCrossair Europe was an airline headquartered on the grounds of EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg in Saint-Louis, Haut Rhin, France, near Basel, Switzerland. It operated scheduled services to destinations in Italy...
(99.9%). It has a total of 7383 employees.
According to Marcel Biedermann, the managing director intercontinental markets for Swiss, there were three possibilities: stay independent as a niche carrier, shrink to an unrecognisable level, or attach onto another airline group. The last choice was taken. Swiss talked to Air France-KLM
Air France-KLM
Air France-KLM is a European airline holding company incorporated under French law with its headquarters at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport in Tremblay-en-France, Paris...
, British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
, and Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
. However, Swiss was tied up with debt and an uncertain future, and seemed to be an unattractive investment. After merging with KLM, Air France said they were too busy to deal with Swiss joining them. Lufthansa wanted to take over, but the Swiss people did not want that. British Airways was open, and Oneworld
Oneworld
Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
partners thought Zurich Airport
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
would be a viable alternative hub for London Heathrow.
After almost a year of disputes, Swiss was finally accepted into the Oneworld
Oneworld
Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
airline alliance
Airline alliance
An airline alliance is an agreement between two or more airlines to cooperate on a substantial level. The three largest passenger alliances are the Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld. Alliances also form between cargo airlines, such as that of WOW Alliance, SkyTeam Cargo and ANA/UPS Alliance...
, after having been blocked by British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
, which competes with Swiss on many long-haul routes. On 3 June 2004, Swiss announced its decision not to join Oneworld because they did not want to integrate their current frequent flyer program
Frequent flyer program
A frequent flyer program is a loyalty program offered by many airlines. Typically, airline customers enrolled in the program accumulate frequent flyer miles corresponding to the distance flown on that airline or its partners. There are other ways to accumulate miles...
into British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
' 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.
Recovery
The airline annually halved its losses, and in 2006 recorded a net profit of $220 million. The net profit for 2007 was $570 million. Biedermann stated in the March 2008 edition of "Airways", 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 carries the same number of passengers as they did in 2002.On 22 March 2005 Lufthansa Group confirmed its plan to take over Swiss, starting with a minority stake (11%) of a new company set up to hold Swiss shares called Air Trust. The Swiss operations were gradually integrated with Lufthansa's from late 2005, and the takeover was completed on 1 July 2007. Swiss joined the Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
and became a member of Lufthansa's Miles and More frequent flyer program on 1 April 2006.
The airline has set up a regional airline
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
subsidiary called Swiss European Air Lines
Swiss European Air Lines
Swiss European Air Lines is a subsidiary of Swiss International Air Lines, operating as the latter on some of its short haul routes. Swiss International Air Lines, also known as SWISS, is the successor of Swissair, following that company's grounding in 2001. Like its parent, Swiss European is part...
. This carrier has its own air operator's certificate. The two independently operating divisions Swiss Aviation Training and Swiss WorldCargo (using the belly capacity of passenger planes) are also owned by Swiss.
In 2008 Swiss International Air Lines acquired Edelweiss Air
Edelweiss Air
Edelweiss Air AG is a charter airline with its head office in the Edwelweiss Air Operations Center on the property of Zurich Airport and in Kloten, Switzerland, operating mainly out of Zurich Airport, with a smaller base at Geneva International Airport...
and Servair - now Swiss Private Aviation
Swiss Private Aviation
Swiss Private Aviation AG is a fully owned subsidiary of Swiss International Air Lines providing executive jet services as well as aircraft management and commercial charter services on behalf of its parent company. Swiss Private is also the new platform for operation of the Lufthansa Private Jet...
. From February 2011, Swiss Private Aviation ceased to operate as a result of internal reconstruction. The company recommended Lufthansa Private Jet Service as a succedaneum.
The Swiss brand is highly respected by travellers, as can be seen by the company coming top of the upmarket Condé Nast Traveler
Condé Nast Traveler
Condé Nast Traveler is a US magazine published by Condé Nast. It has its origins in a mailing sent out by the Diners Club club beginning in 1953, listing locations that would take the card. It began taking advertising in 1955. In order to attract more advertisers, it became a full-fledged magazine,...
readers' survey
for short haul flights in 2008.
In 2007 Swiss placed an order for 9 Airbus 330-300 aircraft to eventually replace the existing fleet of 9 A330-200s. The A333 is more environmentally friendly and has three-class seating. From April 2009 as each A330-300 arrives, a A330-200 is retired from the fleet. The first A330-300 jet was put into service from Zurich to New York (JFK). In spring 2010 Swiss operated five A330-300s on routes from Geneva to New York (JFK), and Zurich to New York (JFK), Delhi, Mumbai, Muscat via Dubai. From April 2010 the A330-300 flies from Zurich to Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Yaoundé and Douala. The remaining 4 A330-300 aircraft are to join the fleet in 2011 .
Lufthansa Group takeover
Following Lufthansa Group takeover, the regional fleet was changed from Crossair's EmbraerEmbraer
Embraer S.A. is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and executive aircraft and provides aeronautical services....
ERJs and Saab
Saab
Saab AB is a Swedish aerospace and defence company, founded in 1937. From 1947 to 1990 it was the parent company of automobile manufacturer Saab Automobile, and between 1968 and 1995 the company was in a merger with commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania, known as Saab-Scania.-History:"Svenska...
s to Avro RJs, which are flown by a wholly owned subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
, Swiss European Air Lines
Swiss European Air Lines
Swiss European Air Lines is a subsidiary of Swiss International Air Lines, operating as the latter on some of its short haul routes. Swiss International Air Lines, also known as SWISS, is the successor of Swissair, following that company's grounding in 2001. Like its parent, Swiss European is part...
. The rest of the fleet, apart from the regional jets, was also rationalised and is now all Airbus.
The airline reconstruction also caused Swiss to renegotiate their supplier contracts, which include ground handling, maintenance, food service, and labour.
The shareholders of Swiss received a performance-based option for their shares. Payment will be in 2008, and the amount will depend on how well Lufthansa's shares compare with competitors' shares. Lufthansa continues to maintain Swiss as a separate brand.
In 2010, Swiss and Lufthansa were named in a European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
investigation into price-fixing, but was not fined due to acting as a whistleblower.
Subsidiaries
The following companies are part of the Swiss International Air Lines Group:
|
Swiss European Air Lines Swiss European Air Lines is a subsidiary of Swiss International Air Lines, operating as the latter on some of its short haul routes. Swiss International Air Lines, also known as SWISS, is the successor of Swissair, following that company's grounding in 2001. Like its parent, Swiss European is part... |
|
|
Destinations
In 2009, the airline announced a major expansion at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-FreiburgEuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is an international airport northwest of Basel , southeast of Mulhouse , and south of Freiburg . It is located in France, on the administrative territory of the commune of Saint-Louis near the Swiss and German borders...
in an attempt to win back market share from budget airlines using the airport.
Codeshare agreements
|
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Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
member airline
SkyTeam
SkyTeam
SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...
member airline
Fleet
The average age of the Swiss International Air Lines fleet is 10.6 years on November 2009. The aircraft fleet is to be renamed after local towns and cities over the next two years. The names will be featured on the aircraft fuselage, with cabin interiors showing the coat of arms of the town or city. The latest fleet addition, an Airbus A330Airbus A330
The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo....
, is the first to follow this scheme, as Bern.
Six Airbus A340
Airbus A340
The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engine wide-body commercial passenger jet airliner. Developed by Airbus Industrie,A consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. a consortium of European aerospace companies, which is...
aircraft were added to the fleet, the first of which is an ex-Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
plane. Three more ex-Air Canada A340s were added along with two ex-Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Austria, headquartered in Office Park 2 on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat, Wien-Umgebung and a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Together with regional subsidiary Tyrolean Airways and charter arm Lauda Air, it operates...
A340s, to increase frequencies on existing routes and to launch new routes in summer 2008.
Two Airbus A330
Airbus A330
The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo....
aircraft were also added to the fleet. The first one replaced an Airbus A300-600
Airbus A300
The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody jet airliner. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of Airbus Industrie, a consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS...
in November 2006 which was leased from Hapag-Lloyd, and the second was added in mid-December 2006: both to increase route frequencies.
The short-haul fleet is also expected to expand with plans, confirmed in September 2006, to add two Airbus A321
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
and one Airbus A320
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
aircraft. To serve the shorthaul market, Swiss added 2 additional Airbus A320
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
aircraft to their fleet earlier than planned. The aircraft were added in Autumn 2007 and were not new-build aircraft, but rather former Swissair aircraft that were leased for six years.
In addition to Swiss' own fleet, a number of codeshare agreements are in effect. These include 3 Fokker 100 aircraft operated by Swiss airline Helvetic Airways
Helvetic Airways
Helvetic Airways is an airline based at Zürich Airport in Kloten, Switzerland. It operates flights to destinations in Europe, mainly leisure markets, but also to business destinations. Its main base is Zürich Airport...
, two Fokker 100s operated by Lufthansa Regional
Lufthansa Regional
Lufthansa Regional is the regional airline alliance of the largest German airline, Lufthansa. It transports 10.5 million passengers a year, serving over 80 destinations and over 150 routes...
partner Contact Air
Contact Air
Contact Air Flugdienst is a regional airline headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, operating scheduled services as part of Lufthansa Regional out of Stuttgart Airport, and on behalf of Swiss International Airlines out of Zürich Airport.- History :The airline was established by Gunther Eheim as a...
, and one Saab 2000
Saab 2000
|-See also:-References:* Lambert, Mark. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993–94. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Data Division, 1993. ISBN 0 7106 1066 1....
operated by Swiss regional airline Darwin Airline
Darwin Airline
Darwin Airline is a regional airline with its head office on the grounds of Lugano Airport in Agno, Switzerland, near Lugano. It operates scheduled domestic services and international services to Italy, France and Spain. Its main base is Lugano Airport....
. These aircraft operate from Zurich on routes to Birmingham, Manchester, Prague, Warsaw, Brussels and Lugano.
On 20 September 2007 Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
confirmed an order for 41 aircraft. Two of the A320s and the 9 A330 aircraft are intended for Swiss.
On 11 March 2009, Swiss announced that, in 2014, it plans to gradually replace the current RJ100 fleet with aircraft of the Bombardier CSeries
Bombardier CSeries
The Bombardier CSeries is a family of narrow-body, twin-engine, medium-range jet airliners being developed by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace. Models are the 110-seat CS100, and the 130-seat CS300...
. The replacement of the current 20 aircraft is planned to take two years, while an additional 10 aircraft will be delivered thereafter to allow for capacity expansion. The new aircraft will allow Swiss to continue serving restricted destinations such as London City Airport
London City Airport
London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering...
. The Lufthansa Group is a launch customer for this aircraft type.
One MD-11
McDonnell Douglas MD-11
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is a three-engine medium- to long-range widebody jet airliner, manufactured by McDonnell Douglas and, later, by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Based on the DC-10, it features a stretched fuselage, increased wingspan with winglets, refined airfoils on the wing and smaller...
aircraft formerly used by Swiss had the Chinese character Ruì (瑞), from the Chinese translation of Switzerland, Ruìshì (瑞士), on the tail fin instead of the cross. It came from the former Swissair subsidiary Swissair Asia, which was formed to allow for Swissair to serve the Republic of China(Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China.
On 22 September 2010, Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
announced an order for 48 new planes. Five of the ordered A330-300, two A320, and two A321 aircraft are intended to be delivered to Swiss starting in 2012.
Head office
Swiss International Air Lines is headquartered at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-FreiburgEuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is an international airport northwest of Basel , southeast of Mulhouse , and south of Freiburg . It is located in France, on the administrative territory of the commune of Saint-Louis near the Swiss and German borders...
near Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. EuroAirport, a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-Swiss binational airport, is physically located in France and has direct access to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The Swiss head office is located in the Swiss section of the airport, and it is only accessible from Switzerland.
The current Swiss International Air Lines head office was formerly the head office of Crossair
Crossair
Crossair Ltd. Co. for Regional European Air Transport was a regional airline headquartered on the grounds of EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg in Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin, France, near Basel, Switzerland...
. In 2002 the name "Crossair" was replaced with "Swiss International Air Lines" on the head office building. 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.
Logo
On August 18, Swiss announced a new logo for its company, looking alike the logo of the defunct SwissairSwissair
Swissair AG was the former national airline of Switzerland.It was formed from a merger between Balair and Ad Astra Aero , in 1931...
.
Further reading
- Donohue, Ken. "Swiss continues a proud tradition." Airways Magazine: A Global Review of Commercial Flight. March 2008: 22-23, 25, 28.
External links
- Official website (Mobile)
- Swiss International Air Lines - YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Swiss WorldCargo Cargo operations
- Webpage of Swiss AviationTrainig
- BBC article on the Lufthansa takeover
- Contest sponsored by Swiss International Air Lines