Just in time for the busy peak-travel summer season, Switzerland’s nationalairline, SWISS, is cutting 326 of its flights, including a route to the United States.
The reduced schedule will go into effect with the introduction of the summer timetable, from March 29th until October 24th.
The US-bound flight impacted by the cuts is the one from Zurich to Chicago: its frequency will be reduced from 14 to 12 weekly.
Another long-haul route affected by the cut is the one from Zurich to Shanghai – it will only fly three times a week instead of seven.
Why is this happenning?
The reason for these cuts is the shortage of pilots and aircraft.
Specifically, the airline is short of captains and first officers for the Airbus A320 and A321, as well as the A330 and A340, because many are currently retraining to fly the new Airbus A350.
In addition, 11 aircraft are grounded due to engine problems, which makes operational planning all the more difficult.
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‘Last resort’
“The cancellations are a last resort,” said Oliver Buchhofer, the airline’s Chief Operating Officer. “After all, if SWISS isn’t flying, it’s not earning any money.”
“And the cancellations affect passengers as well,” he added.
However, the situation is not quite as bad as it was in the summer of 2025.
At that time, 1,400 flights had to be cancelled, for the same logistical reasons.
