Swiss limits Airbus A340 operations to five routes between August and December

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GLOBAL INDUSTRY NEWS

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By Sky Industry News

Jul 12, 2024

SWISS only has four remaining A340-300s. The type will be used on five routes between August and December. Given the type's route network, SWISS has the world's longest average A340 stage length. There are few Airbus A340s left in the world. Despite only operating four exciting and characterful A340s, SWISS has the world's fourth-highest number of flights by them. Only Lufthansa, Iran's Mahan Air, and Edelweiss have more. Like any older equipment, the A340 has considerably higher fuel burn than the newer twin types. However, it is somewhat offset by much lower lease rates.

Based on the schedules SWISS submitted to Cirium, the carrier's A340-300 network is limited, as expected. Between August and December, just five routes, including seasonal offerings, are available from its Zurich hub. Most excitingly, a few roundtrips on the domestic hop to Geneva are available, temporarily becoming the world's shortest scheduled A340 service.

"Just 125 Nautical Miles: SWISS Schedules Domestic Airbus A340 Flights In August."

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It has become the world's shortest bookable A340 service but it doesn't hang around for long.

As mentioned earlier, SWISS has the fourth-highest number of A340 flights globally. Part of the reason for this is its average stage length. Despite the addition of Geneva, which pulls it down a bit, its average length is a whopping 4,585 nautical miles (8,490 km). That's longer than any other A340 operator, with South African Airways in second place (4,068 nautical miles or 7,533 km).

Zurich to...

A340 plan: August-December (as of July 12 and subject to change)

Geneva: Just eight A340 roundtrips: August 4, 6, 11, 13; 18; 20; 25; 27

Johannesburg: Daily year-round A340

Miami: Winter seasonal A340. The type returns on October 27 and frequencies will vary per week

Seoul Incheon: Summer seasonal A340. Operates three times weekly until October 25 (Zurich departure)

Shanghai Pudong: Daily A340. Frequencies reduce at times in November/December

What was it like in 2023? It is worth briefly comparing SWISS's A340 network in August-December 2024 to the same five months in 2023. Schedule analysis shows that it had 401 departures from Zurich last year but now it's down to 383 departures—a reduction of about four percent—mainly due to fewer short-haul services.

"The type's network has changed dramatically in a short time," said an industry analyst.

Then in late summer and fall of last year:

Zurich-Hong Kong: six weekly flights

Zurich-Johannesburg: daily until October

Zurich-Montreal: five weekly until October

Zurich-Shanghai Pudong: minimal flights early then six weekly later

Zurich-Palma: frequent Saturday/Monday flights until October

Zurich-Malaga: regular Saturday/Friday flights through September

Zurich-Athens: sporadic dates late summer/fall

Zurich-Miami: mid-to-late December

Zurich-Porto: two Sundays in September

Zurich-Boston: Christmas Day flight

Zurich-Geneva: one flight end of September

Zurich-Chicago O'Hare: one flight pre-Christmas

The considerable network shift within such a short period underscores how rapidly conditions can change within both airline operations and broader contexts.