Although part of the Lufthansa group, the Swiss carrier has a fleet of aircraft with some very old models, including A320 and A321 jets with more than 20 years in service.
But it is its inefficient four-engine Airbus A340-300 that contrasts most with more modern aircraft from other major European airlines, including Lufthansa itself.
This situation will finally change. Swiss announced on Monday that the four A340s currently in service will be replaced by five Airbus A350-900s, but only from 2025.
“With this planned substantial modernization of our long-haul aircraft fleet, we are setting a vital course to sustainably maintain our competitive edge over the longer term,” celebrated SWISS Chief Executive Officer Dieter Vranckx.
The aircraft are part of an order placed by the German group in 2019 that includes 25 A350s, but it is surprising that Swiss will still have to wait more than two years for the modern widebodies.
Lufthansa already has 21 of these jets in its fleet, although it also maintains a very generous amount of the A340. Swiss relies on its 12 Boeing 777-300ERs as its main long-haul aircraft, in addition to 14 A330-300s with an average age of over 12 years.
“Our new long-haul twinjet will play a substantial part in achieving our ambitious climate goals”, added Vranckx. Too bad this environmental commitment will only be valid in two years.
