SWISS International Airlines has announced that it will be adding a further five Airbus A350-900s to its fleet, complementing the existing five that it initially committed to. This is part of an overall Lufthansa Group order for the aircraft type. The planes are then distributed across the groups’ airlines according to needs.
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A total of 10
SWISS now has 10 commitments for the A350, with the delivery schedule looking as follows:
- Inaugural delivery (as part of the initial commitment for the first five aircraft): summer 2025
- Second set of deliveries: beginning summer 2027
- Delivery completion: by the end of 2031
Photo: SWISS
The airline initially announced it was introducing the A350 back in December 2022, when it revealed it had been allocated five planes from a 
Lufthansa Group order for 25 placed in 2019. SWISS CEO Jens Fehlinger had the following to say about the latest addition.
“Our new Airbus A350s will make our fleet even more modern. This is a major investment, and a vital one to ensure that we continue to meet our customers’ high expectations. With these advanced twinjets and their innovative cabins, we’re bringing our long-haul aircraft fleet up to a totally new level of modernity, sustainability and inflight comfort for our guests.”
Other airlines in the Lufthansa Group that are anticipating A350 deliveries include Lufthansa and Edelweiss. A Lufthansa stake in ITA Airways was finally approved by the European Commission last month. The Rome-based airline also operates A350s, with a further two on order.
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Replacing the A340
The new A350s will replace the carrier’s aging A340-300 fleet, which has an average age of 21 years, according to ch-aviation data. The four planes still in service provide 860 seats in total. Historically, the carrier had a further 11 in its fleet, which have since been retired. Its primary long-haul network workhorse is the Boeing 777, as well as the Airbus A330, to a lesser extent.
Photo: Natali Glado | Shutterstock
Cirium data shows that this month, the Airbus A340s will operate on flights to Johannesburg, Shanghai, and Miami. whether the Airbus A350s will operate on the sectors once delivered is unclear. SWISS says it will be “finalizing which routes its new Airbus A350s will serve over the next few months.”
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It is worth noting that the new A350s provide significant cargo capacity which the airline will be able to leverage.
SWISS Senses cabin interior
The Zurich-based airline says that all of it are above A350s will be equipped with the Senses cabin interior. It anticipates that its new hard product will demonstrate its “commitment to provide outstanding service and comfort to our guests.”
The new cabin design will debut on the A350s before being introduced on the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330s fleets. The changes will cover all classes, notably including a revised first class for which SWISS will introduce a suite concept for the first time. It adds that “parts” of its business class cabin will also benefit from a suite. Economy class changes are more minimal, with additions such as a revised lighting convention and a new “state-of-the-art” inflight entertainment system (IFE), which will also feature across the other cabins too. The IFE will allow passengers to connect their own devices.
