SWISS’s first Airbus A350 landed at its new Zurich home on the afternoon of 9 October, marking a further milestone for the Swiss-based airline.
Three SWISS pilots flew the brand-new long-haul twinjet to Switzerland from Airbus’s Toulouse factory. The aircraft touched down at 15:25, and docked shortly after for the first time at its new home base.
The new addition to the SWISS fleet bears a special color scheme: its unique ‘Wanderlust’ livery, which is a striking and lively homage to Switzerland in all its finery and diversity.
A large number of employees and aviation fans viewed the historic arrival of this first SWISS Airbus A350 from the airport’s observation deck.
A new SWISS era
“Today is a great day for us,” said SWISS CEO Jens Fehlinger. “With our Airbus A350, we’re transporting our customers into a new era of long-haul air travel. This aircraft represents everything we aim to be moving forward: efficient, advanced, and clearly positioned as a premium airline, from Switzerland and for Switzerland.
“With the A350 we’re taking a huge leap forward – technologically, ecologically, and in terms of our passengers’ inflight experience. It’s a very special thing to welcome a brand-new aircraft with a completely new cabin – something that will probably happen only once in anyone’s airline career. And it’s fascinating to see just how much progress and how much precision are embodied in this aircraft.”
SWISS Chief Commercial Officer Heike Birlenbach added: “With our new SWISS Senses cabin, we’re bringing new levels of comfort and quality to the air travel world. For our guests this means more space, a more relaxing ambience, and a more individual air travel experience, from the light above the seat to the entire inflight service.
“Our new Airbus A350 stands for ‘premium’ as we understand it: modern, individual and hallmarked by a service that is attentive, personal and typically Swiss.”
Quieter, more comfortable and more economical
The Airbus A350 is the most advanced widebody aircraft in service today. With its fuel-efficient engines and its enhanced aerodynamics, the A350 consumes around 25% less fuel than predecessor aircraft types and thus also generates correspondingly fewer carbon dioxide emissions. It’s substantially quieter than its predecessors, too.
The A350 is also manufactured using materials that are more resilient than traditional aluminum. This allows it to be operated at lower cabin pressures and higher air humidity during flight; and this in turn gives its passengers tangibly more inflight travel comfort. By 2031, ten Airbus A350 aircraft are scheduled to join the SWISS fleet.
First passenger flights from the end of this month
For the next few weeks, SWISS will initially operate its first new Airbus A350 on short flights within Europe, to enable its pilots to complete their practical training on the new twinjet as efficiently as possible. The first A350 revenue passenger flight has been scheduled from Zurich to Palma de Mallorca on 25 October.
The new aircraft’s first long-haul service will be to Boston on 20 November. This will also be the first SWISS service to operate with both the new SWISS Senses cabin and the recently introduced new long-haul inflight service.
The new cabin has been devised and developed together with the Lufthansa Group, which has enabled this and the associated certifications to be effected with optimum efficiency.
About Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS)
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is Switzerland’s leading air carrier. With one of Europe’s most advanced aircraft fleets, SWISS is a premium airline that provides direct flights from Zurich and Geneva to keep Switzerland connected with Europe and the world. Its Swiss WorldCargo division offers an extensive range of airport-to-airport airfreight services for high-value, time-critical and care-intensive consignments. SWISS embodies Switzerland’s traditional values and is dedicated to delivering the highest product and service quality. The company has also set itself ambitious CO2 goals, and plans to halve its 2019 net CO2 emissions by 2030 and make its business and operations entirely carbon-neutral by 2050, particularly by promoting the use of sustainable aviation fuels. SWISS is part of the Lufthansa Group, and is also a member of Star Alliance, the world’s biggest airline network.
All images credited to Swiss International Air Lines
