Swiss to cancel 1,400 flights this summer due to pilot shortage

Swiss International Air Lines, a Lufthansa subsidiary, will cancel 1,400 flights—about 1.5% of its summer schedule—due to a severe pilot shortage, especially affecting A320, A321, A330, and A340 crews. The cuts impact short- and medium-haul European routes as well as the Chicago long-haul route, which will be halved in September and October.

The crisis stems from overlapping issues: insufficient trained pilots, aircraft shortages (notably A220 due to engine problems), long-term staff absences, retraining for the Airbus A350, and constraints from a new collective bargaining agreement. Lufthansa cannot provide support, and wet leasing isn’t an option.

Swiss currently trains around 80 pilots annually but loses 40–50 to retirement or reduced workloads, resulting in only 30–40 net new pilots per year. The airline plans to increase annual training capacity to 110 pilots. Meanwhile, it is using stopgap measures, including deferring retirements and boosting internal flexibility.