Summary
- Edelweiss Air looks forward to operating Airbus A350s on long-haul routes from 2025.
- Six fuel-efficient A350s will join the airline’s fleet over the next two years.
- The A350 will offer environmental benefits, consuming 25% less fuel and reducing CO2 emissions by a quarter.
Switzerland-based Edelweiss Air is already focusing on 2025, as it plans to operate its seasonal service from Zurich to Las Vegas and Vancouver with the highly anticipated Airbus A350-900. Six planes are expected to join its fleet beginning in April of next year – with the service resuming in May and July.
The fuel-efficient widebody aircraft will subsequently replace Edelweiss’ aging A340-300s. The airline plans to slowly phase out the quad jets, with five examples expected to be retired by mid-2027.
A new long-haul fleet
With the arrival of the A350, Edelweiss will become the first airline in Switzerland to operate the aircraft. The airline confirmed on Friday that the first of six planes will join its fleet at the beginning of April 2025. Before deploying the aircraft throughout its long-haul operation, it will spend its first few weeks flying to short and medium-haul destinations as the crew will likely need time for familiarization.
The first long-haul route Edelweiss plans to operate the A350 with is from its hub at Zurich-Kloten International Airport (ZRH) to Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas. The seasonal service will be resumed “from mid-May 2025,” and will be offered three times per week. Once the second A350 is delivered at the beginning of July, the carrier will deploy the plane from ZRH to Vancouver International Airport (YVR). According to the airline, the route will be operated daily.
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Edelweiss will receive its third A350 in the fall of next year. By the end of 2025, the carrier will have received its fourth, with the fifth and sixth aircraft expected to be delivered in 2026.
“The third Airbus A350 will join the Edelweiss fleet at the beginning of October 2025,” the carrier explained. “The fourth will be added in winter 2025 and aircraft numbers 5 and 6 in the second half of 2026.”
The airline’s operation this year
Tickets for the flights to Las Vegas and Vancouver will be available for purchase on the airline’s website and “all the usual sales channels” beginning in May of this year. Edelweiss operates flights to LAS during the Spring and Summer months and puts the route on hiatus during the winter. Service to Vancouver is relatively the same but is slightly shorter, lasting from May to October.
|
Edelweiss 2024 Zurich-Las Vegas Seasonal Operation |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Month |
Number of Flights |
Equipment |
|
March |
2 (1 each way) |
Airbus A340-300 |
|
April |
18 (9 each way) |
|
|
May |
16 (8 each way) |
|
|
June |
18 (9 each way) |
|
|
July |
22 (11 each way) |
|
|
August |
28 (14 each way) |
|
|
September |
20 (10 each way) |
|
|
October |
26 (13 each way) |
|
|
November |
10 (5 each way) |
|
|
Edelweiss 2024 Zurich-Vancouver Seasonal Operation |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Month |
Number of Flights |
Equipment |
|
March |
0 |
N/A |
|
April |
0 |
N/A |
|
May |
22 (11 each way) |
Airbus A340-300 |
|
June |
52 (26 each way) |
|
|
July |
60 (30 each way) |
|
|
August |
58 (29 each way) |
|
|
September |
42 (21 each way) |
|
|
October |
28 (14 each way) |
|
|
November |
0 |
N/A |
The perfect replacement
The A350 will eventually replace Edelweiss’ entire A340-300 fleet. In a few years, the airline plans to restore its small fleet to its level before the pandemic.
“Edelweiss is procuring six highly efficient and low-emission Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The existing five Airbus A340-300 long-haul aircraft will be replaced by mid-2027 and Edelweiss’ long-haul fleet will be restored to its pre-coronavirus level of six aircraft.”
Photo: Alex JW Robinson | Shutterstock
The airline will also benefit in the long run as the A350 consumes 25% less fuel, reducing CO2 emissions by a quarter compared to its current A340s. The aircraft is also quieter, offering a 50% reduction in noise emissions.
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