Swiss International, a member of the Lufthansa Group, has announced that it will offer four classes of service on its new Airbus A350-900s, which will join its fleet from 2025. The airline will be the only major carrier in the world to have a first-class cabin on all its long-haul aircraft, as well as a larger premium-economy section to meet the growing demand from leisure travelers.
The A350-900s will replace the aging A340-300s that Swiss currently operates on some of its long-haul routes. The new aircraft will have a capacity of 242 seats, of which three will be in first class, 45 in business class, 38 in premium economy class, and 156 in economy class. As of Aug. 2023, Swiss A330 and A340 fleet consists of:
- Five A340-300s, which have an average age of nearly 19 years. These aircraft have been flown by Swiss since they were delivered by Airbus. Swiss is the only major airline in the world to offer a first-class cabin on all its long-haul aircraft, including the A340s.
- 14 A330-300s, which have an average age of nearly 12 years. These aircraft are a solid and reliable long-haul workhorse for the airline, and feature a four-class configuration with first, business, premium economy, and economy seats.
The closest configuration that Lufthansa offers to Swiss’s layout is a four-class setup that accommodates 266 passengers. However, this is nowhere near as premium-heavy, with 201 of its seats being in economy class. The remaining capacity is split between 24 premium economy, 38 business, and three first class seats.
Swiss says that the new cabin concept will offer a “totally new and more personalized” flight experience to its customers, with features such as a digital cockpit, fly-by-wire controls, and a new electronic warfare system. The airline also says that the A350-900s will be more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly than the A340-300s, reducing CO2 emissions by 25% and noise levels by 50%.
Swiss chief commercial officer Tamur Goudarzi Pour said that the airline is proud to introduce the A350-900s to its fleet and to offer a first-class cabin on all its long-haul aircraft. “With our new cabin concept, we will still remain the only major airline in the world to offer a first-class cabin on all its long-haul aircraft,” he said. “We will also continue to expand the share of our very successful Premium Economy Class. Swiss is clearly positioning itself as the ‘leading premium airline’ in Europe.”
The A350-900s are part of a 25-aircraft order placed by the Lufthansa Group in 2019. Swiss will receive five of them, while Lufthansa will receive 20.
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