Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has reported an operating result (Adjusted EBIT) of CHF 30.7 million for the seasonally weak first quarter of 2024. The result is some CHF 48 million below the prior-year period (Q1 2023: CHF 78.4 million). Total first-quarter revenues for 2024 amounted to CHF 1.2 billion, up 8.1 per cent on their prior-year level.
โAs anticipated, the exceptional market conditions that our industry experienced immediately after the pandemic have continued to fade,โ explains SWISS Chief Financial Officer Markus Binkert. โDemand for travel remains high. But many airlines have further increased their capacities. This is tending to bring yields down from their prior-year levels โ at our company, too. We have also seen a sizeable weakening in our air cargo business, which benefited from particularly strong tailwinds during COVID times.โ
SWISSโs first-quarter earnings were also reduced by rising costs. In addition to the adverse effects of inflation and higher fuel prices, a rise in personnel costs was particularly felt as the terms of the new collective labour agreements for cockpit and cabin personnel were reflected in staff expense.
โGiven that the first quarter of the year tends to be one of the weaker ones for seasonal reasons, we are satisfied with this earnings result,โ CFO Binkert continues. โOur business has returned to normality at a high level. For our full-year results, though, the next two seasonally strong quarters will be key.โ
Focus on stability and punctuality in the peak travel season
Having delivered a solid business and operating performance over the Easter period, SWISS is now preparing for the busy summer travel months. In doing so, the company is putting customer satisfaction firmly centrestage.
โLast year we were Europeโs stablest airline,โ CEO Dieter Vranckx explains. โWe want to be so this summer, too, and offer our customers the kind of reliability that they should be able to expect from us. For a premium airline like ours, though, stability alone is not enough. So this year we aim to substantially improve our flightsโ punctuality as well, in collaboration with our partners. To this end we have launched a companywide programme that is firmly focused on the satisfaction of our customers. Weโre already working intensively on this, and are developing a wide range of actions to help us achieve these objectives.โ
Passenger volume growth
SWISS transported some 3.7 million passengers in the first three months of 2024 โ just under 17ย per cent more than in the same period last year. Almost 31,000 flights were operated in the period, a 14.5-per-cent increase on the first quarter of 2023. Systemwide, first-quarter production was raised 11.6 per cent in available-seat-kilometre terms. Total first-quarter traffic volume, measured in revenue passenger-kilometres, was up 11.3 per cent. Systemwide seat load factor for the first-quarter period stood at 80.7 per cent, down 0.2 percentage points from its prior-year level.
Group revenue increases by 5 percent to 7.4 billion euros in the first quarterย
Number of passengers rises to 24 million in the first quarterย
Adjusted EBIT in the first quarter at -849 million eurosย
Strikes impact earnings by around 350 million euros in the first quarterย
Unit costs excluding strike impact below previous yearย
Summer with record number of holiday destinations and 16 percent more bookings than last yearย
Adjusted EBIT of around 2.2 billion euros expected for the full year of 2024
Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG:
“We are now leaving the first quarter behind us, which was mainly impacted by strikes, and are at a turning point. We have reached long-term wage agreements for the majority of our employees. This means planning certainty and clarity for the coming years. We are still seeing strong demand, which is even significantly higher than last year for the summer. We are therefore continuing to expand our offering and are growing on long-haul routes in particular. Our planes remain well filled throughout. One thing is already clear: it will be another very strong summer. I am particularly pleased that we are continuing to see a positive trend not only among leisure but also business travelers. We are now devoting all our energy to further expanding our premium customer offers and ensuring punctual and reliable flight operations.”
Results for the first quarter of 2024
The Group increased its revenue by five percent year-on-year to 7.4 billion euros in the first quarter of 2024 (previous year: 7.0 billion euros). The Lufthansa Group recorded an operating loss (Adjusted EBIT) of 849 million euros (previous year: -273 million euros). Strikes, both by various employee groups within the Group and by employees of our system partners, had a negative impact of around 350 million euros on earnings. In addition, Lufthansa Cargo’s result declined now that the logistics industry has returned to normal after the pandemic-related exceptional economic situation. The Adjusted EBIT margin fell to -11.5 percent (previous year: -3.9 percent). The Group result fell to -734 million euros (previous year: -467 million euros).
Passenger numbers and traffic development
Demand for air travel continued to rise in the first quarter of the current year. A total of 24 million passengers flew with the airlines of the Lufthansa Group, an increase of 12 percent compared to the previous year (Q1 2023: 22 million). The Group airlines expanded their seat capacity by 12 percent year-on-year despite the strike-related flight cancellations. Compared to the pre-Crisis year 2019, this was 84 percent, around 5 percentage points lower than originally planned. Despite the significant increase in capacity, the load factor remained consistently high due to high demand. The passenger load factor amounted to 79.7 percent and was thus at the previous year’s level.
Strikes have a significant negative impact on Passenger Airlines’ earnings
The Lufthansa Group Passenger Airlines’ revenue rose by seven percent to 5.6 billion euros in the first quarter (previous year: 5.2 billion euros). They recorded an Adjusted EBIT of -918 million euros (previous year: -512 million euros). Strikes had an impact of around 300 million euros on earnings in this segment.
Yields fell by 2.5 percent compared to the previous year, partly due to the strike-related uncertainty on the customer side and the corresponding lack of high-priced last-minute bookings. Unit revenues (RASK) were 6.3 percent down on the previous year, also influenced by lower cargo revenues and significantly higher compensation payments to passengers due to the strike.
Unit costs (CASK) rose by 2.9 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year due to the strike. Adjusted for the strike effects, however, they were 1.8 percent below the previous year despite higher expenses for fees, MRO and personnel.
Due to the high losses in the core brand Lufthansa in the first quarter (Adjusted EBIT -640 million euros), Lufthansa Airlines has initiated measures to strengthen the result this year in the short term. Among other steps, it is planned to reduce operating costs, stop new projects and assess the need for additional staff in administrative areas.
Lufthansa Technik benefits from more air traffic
Demand for maintenance, repair and overhaul services as well as other Lufthansa Technik products increased in the first quarter of 2024 due to the positive trend in air travel. Revenue increased accordingly by 15 percent year-on-year to 1.8 billion euros (previous year: 1.5 billion euros). Adjusted EBIT fell by 14 percent to 116 million euros (previous year: 135 million euros), impacted by strike-related work stoppages. Excluding this effect, which had a negative impact on earnings of around 25 million euros, earnings were up on the previous year.
In the logistics business, capacity rose by seven percent due to the expansion of air traffic and revenue tonne-kilometres also increased by ten percent. Yields were around 25 percent lower than in the same quarter of the previous year, in which the result was significantly boosted by high demand due to supply chain disruptions and the shortage of capacity as a result of the pandemic. Lufthansa Cargo thus achieved an Adjusted EBIT of -22 million euros (previous year: 151 million euros). Excluding the strike effects of 25 million euros, the quarterly result was slightly positive.
Positive Adjusted free cash flow further reduces net debt
Due to the continued high level of incoming bookings, operating cash flow amounted to around 1.3 billion euros despite the negative operating result. At 940 million euros, net investments were around ten percent below the previous year, meaning that Adjusted free cash flow amounted to 305 million euros (previous year: 482 million euros).
The Group further strengthened its balance sheet in the first quarter of 2024. Net debt decreased to 5.5 billion euros compared to the end of 2023 (December 31, 2023: 5.7 billion euros) due to the positive free cash flow. Net pension obligations fell to 2.4 billion euros due to a higher discount rate (December 31, 2023: 2.7 billion euros). At the end of March 2023, the company had liquidity totaling 10.8 billion euros (December 31, 2023: 10.5 billion euros) at its disposal. Following an upgrade by Moody’s in the first quarter, the Lufthansa Group is now the only European network airline to be consistently rated investment grade again by all four agencies in the market.
Remco Steenbergen, Chief Financial Officer of Deutsche Lufthansa AG:
“We cannot be satisfied with the operating result for the first quarter; at more than 350 million euros, the various strikes had a significant impact on our result. Nevertheless, cash flow was positive due to the continuing high demand for air travel. We were also able to further strengthen our balance sheet. In the coming months, we will work intensively to compensate for the effects of rising costs. We have taken additional measures to this end, particularly at Lufthansa Airlines, which is significantly affected by rising personnel expenses and fees. I therefore remain convinced that we will be able to achieve stable unit cost development for the year as a whole without taking the strikes in the first quarter into account.”
Bookings for summer 16 percent up on previous year
Global demand for air travel remains strong, particularly from private travelers. The company expects another very good summer of travel. Never before have so many holiday destinations been served by Lufthansa Group airlines as this year. The most popular summer destinations in 2024 are once again Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece and, for long-haul travel, the USA, Japan and Southern Africa. This year, many holidaymakers will once again be able to afford a ticket in one of the premium classes. In addition to the very good demand in the private travel segment, the trend in the business travel segment is also positive. This applies in particular to long-haul flights. The Lufthansa Group is continuously expanding its offering here. In addition to the traditionally strong North American routes, demand from business travelers on the India and Japan routes in particular is growing this year.
Overall, bookings for the summer timetable (April to October) are 16 percent up on the previous year.
Guests can now also enjoy Lufthansa Allegris, the new travel experience on long-haul routes. Allegris will start regular scheduled service on May 1. The first Airbus A350-900 equipped with Allegris will fly from Munich to Vancouver on the Canadian West Coast. The second destination is Toronto, which will be served alternately with Vancouver on selected flights in the first few months. With further A350s delivered, the Allegris cabin will also be used on flights to Chicago and Montreal in the summer.
Financial outlook
The Lufthansa Group plans to increase available capacity in the second quarter to around 92 percent of the pre-crisis level. The increase will therefore be lower than originally planned due to further investments in operational stability and delayed aircraft deliveries. The company expects a year-on-year decline in unit revenues (RASK) in the low single-digit percentage range, partly because customers were reluctant to make short-term bookings for April and, to a lesser extent, May during the wage disputes that have now been resolved. Unit costs (CASK) are expected to increase in the low single-digit percentage range in the second quarter. Adjusted EBIT in the second quarter will therefore still be below that of the previous year. In line with the lower capacity in the first two quarters, the Lufthansa Group now expects to achieve a capacity level of around 92 percent of the pre-crisis figure for 2019 (previously: 94 percent) for the full year 2024.
In the third quarter, capacity is to be increased further to over 95 percent of the pre-crisis level. Based on incoming bookings, the Group airlines expect unit revenues (RASK) in the third quarter to be higher than in the previous year.
In the second half of the year, the Group’s operating result is expected to be higher than in the previous year. As already communicated on April 15, Adjusted EBIT for the full year is now expected to be around 2.2 billion euros (previously: stable earnings development compared to 2.7 billion euros in the previous year). For the Passenger Airlines, a decline in unit revenues (RASK) in the low single-digit percentage range and an increase in unit costs (CASK), also in the low single-digit percentage range, are expected for the full year. Excluding the effects of the strikes in the first quarter, unit costs (CASK) are expected to remain stable. Adjusted free cash flow is expected to be at least 1 billion euros (previously: at least 1.5 billion euros).
Further information
Further information on the results of individual business units will be published in the report on the first quarter of 2024. This will be published at the same time as this press release on April 30, 2024 at 07:00 CEST at www.lufthansagroup.com/investor-relations.
SWISS will be offering its First and Business Class travellers culinary delights in collaboration with Zurichโs traditional Baur au Lac hotel from today onwards in the latest chapter of the airlineโs โSWISS Taste of Switzerlandโ inflight foodservice programme. The new meals have been created by top chefs Laurent Eperon and Maximilian Mรผller of the hotelโs Pavillon gourmet restaurant. SWISS Premium Economy Class passengers can also enjoy a range of food specialities inspired by the Zurich region.
For the next three months, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) will be offering its First and Business Class travellers culinary creations from Zurichโs world-famous Baur au Lac. The traditional five-star hotel beside Lake Zurich is, like SWISS, committed to the highest product and service quality. So the new collaboration with the hotelโs own Pavillon gourmet restaurant provides SWISS with an excellent opportunity to pamper its inflight guests at the highest level.
Laurent Eperon and Maximilian Mรผller, the two chefs de cuisine of the two-Michelin-star and 18-GaultMillau-point Pavillon, will be treating SWISSโs premium travellers on long-haul services from Switzerland to their modern interpretation of French haute cuisine. For their โSWISS Taste of Switzerlandโ creations they have also drawn strongly on specialities from Canton Zurich to help further familiarize SWISSโs customers with Switzerlandโs sheer culinary variety.
Travellers in Premium Economy Class on SWISS flights from Switzerland will also be offered an inflight menu inspired by regional culinary specialities of Canton Zurich.
An award-winning gastronomy concept for the last 20 years
SWISS has been taking the First, Business and Premium Economy Class travellers on its long-haul services on a journey of culinary discovery through Switzerlandโs various regions since December 2002. Every three months a new Michelin-starred and GaultMillau-point top chef is invited to present โtheirโ canton to SWISS passengers aloft by creating a varied selection of top-quality meals with a particular focus on regional and seasonal specialities. The meals are also accompanied by wine and cheese specialities from the region concerned. In its almost 20-year success story to date, โSWISS Taste of Switzerlandโ has welcomed aboard a total of 75 guest chefs from every one of Switzerlandโs 26 cantons.
The SWISS First, Business and Premium Economy Class menus for this latest โSWISS Taste of Switzerlandโ chapter are attached to this media release.
In other news, the last former Swiss A319 has been scrapped at Saint Athen, Wales.
Some parts have been retained for other carriers.
The Swiss A319 fleet was replaced by newer Airbus A220-300s in 2020.
Swiss International Air Lines has made this announcement:
SWISS has agreed to a collaboration with Air Baltic of Latvia for the coming winter timetable period.
The partnership is intended to further stabilize SWISSโs flight schedules and provide even more reliability for its customersโ travel plans. It should also further ease the present pressures on the companyโs cabin personnel.
The collaboration envisages Air Baltic operating up to six Airbus A220-300 aircraft on SWISSโs behalf under a wet-lease agreement.
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) plans to collaborate with Air Baltic of Latvia in the coming winter timetable period. The collaboration will take the form of a wet-lease agreement (i.e. the lease-in of both aircraft and crew) under which Air Baltic will perform SWISS flights on SWISSโs behalf. The services concerned will be operated by up to six of Air Balticโs highly advanced and CO2-efficient Airbus A220-300 aircraft, which seat up to 145 passengers. SWISS itself operates 21 such twinjets. The Air Baltic aircraft will perform flights throughout the SWISS European route network which had previously been planned for SWISSโs own operation.
Irrespective of this development, SWISS will continue to steadily recruit and train more of its own cabin personnel. The new collaboration with Air Baltic is also viewed as a complement to SWISSโs existing partnership with Helvetic Airways. On the latter front, in addition to the six Helvetic aircraft already operated all year round on SWISSโs behalf, further Helvetic Airways equipment may also be flexibly deployed on SWISS routes in future to cover peaks in demand.
Swiss International Air Lines made this announcement:
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) terminated its bank loan facility guaranteed by the Swiss Confederation at the end of May 2022. With the pandemic situation now more stable and with the eased travel restrictions prompting positive trends in the companyโs liquidity, SWISS is now able to meet its financing needs on the capital markets via the Lufthansa Group. In view of this, SWISS has terminated the bank loan facility which was 85% guaranteed by the Swiss Confederation ahead of its regular end date of 2025. SWISS has never drawn more than half of the total loan amount available under the facility since it was established, and paid a total of CHFย 60 million in interest and fees during the loan facility period.
โThe COVID pandemic triggered the greatest crisis that the aviation sector has ever experienced all over the globe,โ says Reto Francioni, Chairman of the SWISS Board of Directors. โWe are thankful to the Swiss Confederation, led by the Federal Department of Finance, for their belief in the future of our company in this very difficult period. And we have demonstrated in return just how much substance and how much further potential we have within our ranks. Through this great collaborative achievement, the Swiss Confederation, the banks and SWISS have jointly ensured that one of the most vital companies to the Swiss economy has been able to meet and master the acute threat it faced as a result of the COVID crisis.โ
All loan conditions met
SWISS reacted immediately following the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020, initiating extensive cost-saving measures to reduce its liquidity outflow. The Lufthansa Group also supported SWISS with CHF 500 million in loans during the pandemic. The bank loan facility which was guaranteed by the Swiss Confederation was also tied to certain locational conditions, compliance with which was monitored by the Swiss Aviation Foundation. The prime requirement here was the proportionate development of SWISS compared to the further airlines of the Lufthansa Group.
โWe are very grateful to the Swiss Confederation that, together with the banks, it provided SWISS and Edelweiss with the liquidity they needed during the COVID pandemic,โ says Dieter Vranckx, Chief Executive Officer of SWISS and Chairman of the Edelweiss Board of Directors. โAs a result, we were able to secure the jobs of a large part of our Swiss-based workforce and give ourselves sustainably competitive cost structures, while still keeping Switzerland connected with the world throughout the pandemic period. And we have now been able to ramp up our operations again at our Zurich hub in harmony with the further hubs of the Lufthansa Group, and to proportionately develop our range of air services.โ
A return through restructuring to financial stability
SWISS initiated a restructuring in summer 2021 which saw its aircraft fleet downsized some 15 per cent and its workforce reduced by around 1,700 full-time positions by the end of last year. โThe actions we took are having their effect,โ confirms SWISS Chief Financial Officer Markus Binkert. โAfter incurring cumulative losses of more than CHF 1 billion in the past two years, we have now been able to return SWISS to financial stability, and generated a positive cash flow in the first quarter of this year. This in turn enables us to emerge from the Swiss stateโs support ahead of time and meet our future financial needs on the capital markets via the Lufthansa Group.โ
Swiss International Air Lines made this announcement:
The โAirtrainโ is going international: SWISS is expanding its collaboration with SBB Swiss Federal Railways on its intermodal transport service, which will in future be known as โSWISS Air Railโ. From July 2022 onwards, SWISS customers can take advantage of the first-ever international rail/air connection in the form of a new train service between Munich Hauptbahnhof and Zurich Airport. SWISS Air Rail services in Switzerland are also set to be further expanded in collaboration with the SBB.
Train route network:
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is intensifying its collaboration with SBB Swiss Federal Railways to expand its intermodal rail/air travel product under the new name of โSWISS Air Railโ. To further enhance its customersโ train connections to and from its Zurich Airport hub, SWISS is adding Munich Hauptbahnhof in Germany to its intermodal SWISS Air Rail network. The new Munich-Zurich Airport route joins the existing rail/air services between Zurich Airport and the SBB stations of Basel SBB, Lugano and Geneva which have been gradually established over the past few years under the โAirtrainโ name. The new Munich service is the first such rail/air connection between Zurich Airport and a point in a neighbouring country.
From 1 July 2022 onwards, travellers holding a SWISS flight ticket can thus take advantage of rail services between Munich Hauptbahnhof and Zurich Airport which can be seamlessly combined with their flight. โTogether with the SBB, weโre taking a big further step forward in offering our customers complementary travel options,โ says SWISS Chief Commercial Officer Tamur Goudarzi Pour. โWe are jointly seeking to provide smarter combinations of rail and air transport wherever these make sense. And weโre marking a particular milestone here in offering โ with Munich โ our first-ever international SWISS Air Rail connection.โ
โI am delighted that it will now be easier to combine rail and air travel on the Munich-Zurich Airport route, too,โ adds Vรฉronique Stephan, the SBBโs Head of Passenger Services Markets. โThis new service will enable SWISS customers living a short or a medium distance away from SWISSโs Zurich hub to make greater use of rail connections to get to and from the airport. And with these quick and direct new rail services, theyโll enjoy the best possible connections with their SWISS flights.โ
We're expanding our โSWISS Air Railโ collaboration with SBB Swiss Federal Railways on our intermodal transport service. From July onwards, you can take the first international rail/air connection between Munich Hauptbahnhof & Zurich Airport: https://t.co/mJr3adrt1I ๐โ๏ธ@sbbnewspic.twitter.com/RFhoXcO8ur
The timetable for the new SWISS Air Rail service between Munich Hauptbahnhof and Zurich Airport offers SWISS travellers a choice of six SBB trains a day in each direction. Trains may also be boarded or left in Bregenz en route. The rail ticket is included in the SWISS air fare, and can be booked now together with the flight ticket on www.swiss.com or at any travel agency. As on all its other SWISS Air Rail routes, SWISS offers users of the service guaranteed connections in the event of a delay.
SWISS customers using SWISS Air Rail who are Miles & More members will earn status and award miles on their SWISS Air Rail ticket, too, with the number of miles earned depending on their connecting flight and class of travel. SWISS First and SWISS Business travellers using SWISS Air Rail will also travel in first class on the train; and both they and HON Circle and Senator status customers can make use of the Munich Hauptbahnhof DB Lounge. All travellers using SWISS Air Rail from or to Munich will also enjoy automatic seat reservation and free WiFi access.
Further expansion planned in Switzerland from this summer onwards
The range of SWISS Air Rail options in Switzerland is also to be further expanded together with the SBB. The plans here include selected new intermediate stops on existing SWISS Air Rail routes from summer 2022 to enable even more SWISS travellers to take advantage of these seamless rail connections to and from SWISSโs Zurich Airport hub. The Geneva-Zurich Airport service will also allow travellers holding a SWISS flight ticket to join or leave the train in Lausanne, Fribourg or Bern; and the Lugano-Zurich Airport service will offer a similar boarding/leaving option in Bellinzona. SWISS and the SBB further plan to introduce improved baggage collection and delivery services for SWISS Air Rail users.
SWISS and the SBB continue to work steadily to further enhance the rail-and-air-travel combination by further expanding their joint product and service portfolio. In addition to ensuring the best possible connections between SWISSโs global network and further (above all tourist) destinations, the partners are putting a particular focus on offering direct rail services and on optimizing their customer assistance in the event of operational irregularities.
Swiss International Air Lines is using artificial intelligence and Google Cloud technology to further enhance its flight operations. The aim is to make its flight operations more stable, efficient and sustainable.
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has been working under a broader strategic partnership to use Google Cloud technology to develop a platform that facilitates the planning and steering of the airlineโs daily flight operations. The new platform will help the teams working in SWISSโs Operations Control at Zurich Airport to consistently make the best decisions on the airlineโs complex and highly dynamic flight operations all over the globe. The platform collates data from the various units and processes within the company such as passenger itineraries, aircraft assignments, crew rostering and aircraft maintenance, which the system can then use to propose the optimum scenarios for keeping its flight operations as stable and efficient as possible.
Better steering of aircraft performance and individual connection times
By bundling relevant information on Google Cloud, SWISS can utilize dynamic parameters, such as passenger and cargo demand or individual aircraft performance, to better plan which type of aircraft will be most efficient for a particular route. The resulting fuel savings also help reduce SWISSโs carbon dioxide emissions. The data collated can further be used to steer and predict travellersโ individual connecting times at SWISSโs Zurich Airport hub. In the event of an irregularity, the system will swiftly propose a range of alternative scenarios to still get the customers affected to their desired destinations as punctually and comfortably as possible. Should a departure be delayed owing to snowfall, for instance, to the extent that a passenger travelling on it will no longer be able to make their intended Zurich connection, the system will promptly offer a range of efficient rebooking options via all the relevant hubs throughout the Lufthansa Group.
SWISS is the first airline in the Lufthansa Group to collaborate with Google Cloud under the groupโs strategic partnership with the cloud provider. The platform concerned has been specifically devised and developed to enable its adoption by further Lufthansa Group carriers.
Swiss International Air Lines has made this announcement:
SWISS has launched two new initiatives to sustainably reduce the food waste within its SWISS Saveurs catering concept for Economy Class travellers on its short- and medium-haul flights. Under โSWISS Saveurs Pre-Orderโ customers can individually order any of the freshly prepared items on the SWISS Saveurs menu in advance of their flight. And with โSWISS Saveurs To Goโ passengers on the last evening flights of the day can purchase any remaining freshly prepared SWISS Saveurs items at substantially reduced prices.
With effect from today, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) now offers its Economy Class guests on its short- and medium-haul services the option of ordering any items they desire from the current SWISS Saveurs menu online in advance of their flight. The range of items available extends to all freshly prepared products such as the salads, sweet bakery items and sandwiches made to the recipes of Confiserie Sprรผngli, Switzerlandโs renowned confectioner, along with the Beyond Meat Burger which is offered on longer flights. Any of these items can be easily pre-ordered up to 36 hours before departure via the separateย swiss.com/saveurs-preorderย booking link. The new option is available for all short- and medium-haul services from or to Zurich or Geneva of more than 50 minutes flying time from 20 April onwards. Customers will only pay for their pre-ordered item when it is served to them by the cabin crew in the course of their flight, and will also obtain it at a discounted price.
Itโs with the same aims in mind that SWISS is launching a further inflight initiative on 20 April, too. Under โSWISS Saveurs To Goโ, the cabin crews on the last evening flights of the day back to Zurich and Geneva will, after the regular inflight service, offer their passengers the opportunity to obtain any still-unsold SWISS Saveurs items freshly prepared from Confiserie Sprรผngli recipes. The availability of such items will be communicated via an inflight announcement shortly before landing; and, if available, the products concerned will be offered in the form of a โsurprise bagโ containing one or two such freshly prepared items which has been made up by the cabin crew, and at a substantially reduced price.
Top Copyright Photo: Swiss International Air Lines Airbus A220-300 (Bombardier CS300 – BD-500-1A11) HB-JCE (msn 55014) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 957144.
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is celebrating the 20thย anniversary of its foundation this year. The first-ever SWISS flight was performed from Basel to Zurich on 31 March 2002. The airline has been keeping Switzerland connected with the world ever since, bringing people together and making a vital contribution to promoting the country as an attractive place to visit and do business. โIf it werenโt for the great loyalty of our customers, the strong commitment of our employees in the air and on the ground, our fruitful collaborations with our airport partners and our suppliers and โ not least โ the firm support that we have received from the Swiss people, the Swiss political world and the banks, including in the present pandemic times, SWISS would simply not be one of the leading airlines today,โ says company CEO Dieter Vranckx. โWe have all achieved so much together. And I would like to say a sincere thank-you to everyone who has given us such strong and solid support over the past 20 years, and has helped us ensure that SWISS will continue to fly the Swiss cross with pride and with gratitude all over the globe.โ
An eventful history
SWISSโs early years, following its creation on the foundations of Crossair and of Swissairโs flight operations, were marked by rigorous restructurings and uncertainties over its continued viability. An initially oversized aircraft fleet had to be substantially downscaled, together with the original workforce, before the new company could generate profits from its flight operations. The new SWISS also lacked the critical mass required to survive alone in the fiercely competitive air travel market. Such critical mass was secured in 2005, however, through the companyโs integration into the Lufthansa Group. From then on, SWISS was able to benefit from the groupโs strength and synergies, and achieved its financial turnaround as early as the following year.
The next SWISS milestone was also in 2006, when the company joined Star Alliance, the worldโs biggest airline grouping. One year later Delhi became the first new intercontinental destination to be added to the SWISS route network since the airlineโs foundation. It was followed by Shanghai (2008), San Francisco (2010), Beijing (2012) and Singapore (2013), all key points for Switzerland and all served with non-stop flights. Two further long-haul destinations โ Washington and Osaka โ were due to be added in 2020, but had such plans shelved by the coronavirus pandemic.
SWISS today serves 92 destinations from its Zurich hub and 46 points from Geneva. It carries more passengers and cargo than any Swiss airline has ever transported in the past. And together with its sister airline Edelweiss, which also joined the Lufthansa Group in 2008, the company is very well positioned in the premium business and leisure air travel segments.
Billions of investments in a premium product and an advanced aircraft fleet
SWISSโs takeoff into a new era was mirrored in 2011 by its adoption of a new corporate brand. Over the following decade some CHF 8 billion was invested in acquiring the most advanced and fuel-efficient aircraft, in substantially expanding its destination portfolio from Zurich and Geneva and in further enhancing its premium product in the form of new lounges and aircraft cabins. At the same time, SWISS was compelled to end its flight operations in Basel in 2015, after a changed market environment and difficult political parameters had blighted prospects and perspectives in the premium travel segment. Just one year later, though, came one of the biggest highlights in the companyโs 20-year history to date: the addition to the SWISS fleet of the worldโs first highly economical Airbus A220 (which was then known as the Bombardier C Series). The same year saw the delivery of SWISSโs first Boeing 777-300ER, its long-haul flagship, twelve of which are now in service.
SWISS will continue to promote such investments in sustainability and in its product in the years ahead. The company has set itself the two objectives of halving its carbon dioxide emissions from their 2019 level by 2030 and of making its operations carbon-neutral by 2050. โSustainability is one of our key strategic pillars,โ explains CEO Vranckx. โOver the past 20 years we have reduced our carbon dioxide emissions per passenger-kilometre by around 30 per cent. We continue to work on improving our fuel efficiency; and, among other endeavours, we are also lobbying strongly for the development and market introduction of sustainable aviation fuel, to help us achieve our ambitious ecological objectives.โ SWISS will also have welcomed 25 state-of-the-art Airbus A320/321neos into its fleet by the end of 2025. These highly advanced aircraft emit some 20 per cent less carbon dioxide than their predecessor models.
Airline of Switzerland: mission accomplished
The crisis prompted by the coronavirus pandemic has further confirmed the vital importance of having an โAirline of Switzerlandโ or a Swiss-based hub carrier. SWISS, together with its sister airline Edelweiss, performed a total of 86 flights under the biggest repatriation programme ever conducted by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs to bring stranded travellers back home. Between the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 and February 2022, SWISSโs Swiss WorldCargo airfreight division also performed no fewer than 2,650 all-cargo flights that transported over 69,300 tonnes of cargo and provided Switzerland besides many with urgently-needed medical supplies such as facemasks and vaccines.
In the 20 years since its foundation SWISS has performed 2.8 million flights of an aggregate distance of 3.8 billion kilometres, or 95,000 times around the world. These flights have transported just under 266 million passengers โ about 40 times the population of Switzerland โ and 5.6 million tonnes of cargo, the equivalent in weight of some 560 Eiffel Towers.
Twenty aircraft namings and many more anniversary activities planned
SWISS is marking its 20thย anniversary with a wide range of activities and attractive offers. The latter will be launched with a 48-hour sale from 2 April in which customers can take advantage of attractive fares throughout the European network. In addition, 20 of SWISSโs advanced Airbus A220 aircraft will be formally named after Swiss tourist resorts between now and year-end. The naming ceremonies will be held in selected locations throughout Switzerland, on a โWeโll come to youโ basis.
Further anniversary attractions include a special jubilee video (above) that captures the landmark moments in SWISSโs 20-year history to date. SWISS travelers will be able to immerse themselves in the SWISS story, too: from July to September, passengers will be offered a special edition of the inflight SWISS Magazine providing intriguing insights into the fascinating SWISS world of the past two decades along with our travel specialistsโ favorite destinations. Also planned is a big 20thย anniversary competition offering various attractive prizes.
In other news, SWISS inaugurated our new Zurich-Bologna route, Bologna Airport being the 4th new destination in the summer timetable. SWISS connects the two cities with four weekly flights as of today.
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