Swiss Global Air Lines
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airline |
| Predecessor | Swiss European Air Lines |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Defunct | 2018 |
| Fate | Integrated into Swiss International Air Lines |
| Headquarters | Basel (registered office), Kloten (operational headquarters) , Switzerland |
Area served | Europe, select long-haul routes |
| Parent | Swiss International Air Lines |
Swiss Global Air Lines, formerly known as Swiss European Air Lines until February 2015,[1] operated as a Swiss carrier and was entirely owned by Swiss International Air Lines.
Aligned with its parent company, Swiss Global was a member of the Star Alliance. Its registered office[2] was located in Basel, while its operational headquarters were situated on the premises of Zürich Airport in Kloten.[3][4] Operating under the brand and corporate identity of its parent, Swiss Global provided scheduled services to major European urban centers and leisure destinations from Zurich Airport, alongside select long-haul flights conducted on behalf of Swiss International.
By 19 April 2018, all aircraft and personnel were reintegrated into the parent company following a new labor agreement, resulting in the formal discontinuation of Swiss Global Air Lines.[5]
History
Established in 2005 under the name Swiss European Air Lines, the airline was created to manage European route operations for its parent firm. Flight operations commenced on 1 November 2005 with a fleet comprising 18 Avro RJ85/RJ100 and 8 Embraer 145 aircraft.
On 11 March 2009, the board of the Lufthansa Group revealed intentions to phase out Swiss Global’s Avro RJ100 fleet by introducing Bombardier CSeries aircraft beginning in 2014, aiming to increase capacity by adding ten more planes. However, delivery of the Bombardier CSeries was postponed, with the initial CS100 arriving in June 2016 and entering commercial service in July. Lufthansa Group acted as a launch customer, having signed a letter of intent for up to 60 units.
In December 2014, Swiss declared it would discontinue operations at EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg by May 2015, which included Swiss Global’s activities at that location, shifting focus exclusively to Zurich-based operations.
On 3 February 2015, Swiss International Air Lines rebranded Swiss European Air Lines as Swiss Global Air Lines. It was confirmed that Swiss Global would introduce six ordered Boeing 777-300ER aircraft—the first intercontinental jets added to its fleet—with an additional three ordered later that year, bringing the total to nine. By April 2015, Swiss Global applied for U.S. traffic rights to operate these aircraft on transatlantic routes; approval was granted by June, allowing service commencement to New York City starting in 2016.
During the 2015 Paris Air Show, Swiss converted ten of its thirty Bombardier CS100 orders into the larger CS300 variant; five more conversions followed in June 2016. As a launch customer, Swiss Global received its first CS100 on 29 June 2016 and began revenue flights mid-July from Zürich to Paris.
In March 2017, five further CS100 orders were switched to CS300s, aiming for a fleet composition of ten CS100 and twenty CS300 aircraft by the end of 2018, with options for up to thirty additional CSeries jets.
On 14 August 2017, the final regular flight of a Swiss Avro RJ100 marked the end of an era dating back to 2002. Following delivery of the first Bombardier CS300, CEO Thomas Klühr announced that the Geneva base serving Western Switzerland would transition exclusively to operating Bombardier CSeries aircraft by late 2018 under Swiss Global’s management, replacing Airbus A320 family jets.
Swiss Global Air Lines ceased operations on 5 April 2018; all planes and staff were absorbed into Swiss International Air Lines by 19 April. This restructuring followed a new labor contract that standardized pilot salaries across both entities from April 1, removing previous cost advantages held by Swiss Global.
Final fleet composition
At the time Swiss Global Air Lines discontinued operations in April 2018, its aircraft lineup consisted of the following:
| Aircraft | Operational | Pending orders | Seating capacity | Remarks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | J | Y | Total | Refs | ||||
| Bombardier CS100 | 8 | 2 | — | flexible | 125 | Initial launch customer | ||
| Bombardier CS300 | 9 | 11 | — | flexible | 145 | |||
| Boeing 777-300ER | 10 | — | 8 | 62 | 270 | 340 | All aircraft returned to Swiss International Air Lines. | |
| Total | 27 | 13 | ||||||
Past fleet
| Aircraft | Quantity | Year Introduced | Year Withdrawn | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A220-100 | 8 | 2016 | 2018 | Reassigned to Swiss International Air Lines. |
| Airbus A220-300 | 9 | 2016 | 2018 | |
| Avro RJ85 | 4 | 2005 | 2007 | Inherited from Crossair. |
| Avro RJ100 | 20 | 2005 | 2017 | |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 10 | 2016 | 2018 | Transferred to Swiss International Air Lines. |
| Embraer ERJ-145 | 10 | 2005 | 2006 | Acquired from Crossair. |
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