SWISS has converted ten of its 30 orders for the new Bombardier CSeries aircraft from the CS100 to the larger CS300, which offers more seating capacity and thus even lower unit costs. The arrival of the new twinjets from next year onwards will enable SWISS to withdraw its present Avro RJ100 fleet.
SWISS will begin putting the new Bombardier CSeries into service on its European network in the first half of 2016. SWISS is launching customer and first operator of the advanced new short- and medium-haul twinjet. The new transports will gradually replace the remainder of SWISS’s 20-ship Avro RJ100 fleet.
The original order for 30 Bombardier CSeries aircraft – in the CS100 version – was signed by the Lufthansa Group on SWISS’s behalf back in 2009. The terms of the sale agreement also stated that up to 20 of these orders for the CS100 could be converted to the larger CS300 at a later stage. SWISS is now making use of this facility and ordering ten CS300s.
CS300 deliveries from early 2017
Under the modified order, SWISS will receive an initial ten CS100s as of 2016. The following ten deliveries will then be of the larger CS300. The first CS300 should join the SWISS fleet at the beginning of 2017. The CS300 is a 3.7-metres-longer version of the CS100, and will have 145 passenger seats in SWISS configuration (compared to the CS100’s 125 seats).
Like its smaller sister, the CS300 will boast extremely low fuel consumption and noise emissions. “With its size and its low unit costs, the CS300 ideally complements the CS100 and the rest of our European fleet,” says SWISS Chief Executive Officer Harry Hohmeister. “ With both versions of the new CSeries in our ranks, we can be highly flexible in tailoring capacity to demand on our European routes.”
CS100 to arrive in Zurich on 17 June
Both the CS100 and the CS300 are currently being displayed at the International Paris Air Show in Le Bourget. Since SWISS will be the first operator of the type, the CS100 is appearing in SWISS colours. And it will be flying from Paris for a short visit to Zurich on Wednesday 17 June. The first-ever landing of this totally newly-developed short- and medium-haul twinjet in Zurich is expected at around 19:00. The CS100 is set to depart from Zurich again on Friday 19 June at around 09:00.
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is Switzerland’s national airline, serving 106 destinations in 49 countries from Zurich and Geneva and carrying over 16 million passengers a year with its 95-aircraft fleet. The company’s Swiss WorldCargo division provides a comprehensive range of airport-to-airport airfreight services for high-value and care-intensive consignments to some 120 destinations in over 80 countries. As “The Airline of Switzerland”, SWISS embodies the country’s traditional values, and is committed to delivering the highest product and service quality. With its workforce of some 8,250 personnel, SWISS generated total operating income of CHF 5.2 billion in 2014. SWISS is part of the Lufthansa Group, and is also a member of Star Alliance, the world’s biggest airline network.