This week, Swiss International Air Lines announced it will cancel around 1,400 flights this summer, reported SRF. The move is a response to ongoing pilot staffing constraints exacerbated by the post-pandemic operational transition.
The airline cited a shortage of qualified pilots as the principal reason behind the cuts. According to spokesman Michael Weinmann, the airline regrets the disruption but explained that rising demands for work-life balance, a pandemic-induced training backlog, and the upcoming fleet transition to Airbus A350s have all strained available crew capacity.
Training for new pilots was largely suspended during the pandemic and only resumed in 2023. Simultaneously, numerous pilots opted for early retirement, further reducing headcount. Since pilot certification takes around two years and training capacity is limited, Swiss faces a structural training bottleneck.
The adjustments will affect both long-haul and short- to medium-haul operations, with reductions concentrated between May and October 2025.
On the long-haul network, services to Shanghai and Chicago will be scaled back in June, and again in September and October. Shanghai will temporarily drop to three flights per week, down from a daily service, while Chicago will lose one of its two daily flights—retaining the midday departure and suspending the morning flight on most days.
European routes, particularly those operating from Geneva, will see broader reductions. In May and June, flights to Hamburg, Oslo, Pristina, Athens, and Malaga will each be cut by one weekly flight. Connections to Stockholm, Copenhagen, Valencia, and Marrakesh will also be reduced, with Hurghada in Egypt temporarily suspended.
In July and August, routes from Geneva to Berlin, Mykonos, Santorini, and Porto will operate with one fewer flight per week. Services to Alicante, Brindisi, Kalamata, Kos, and Menorca will be entirely suspended for two months. Further cuts are planned for September and October, particularly to Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Thessaloniki, alongside continued suspensions to Hurghada.
A limited number of Zurich-based short-haul flights will also be scaled back during August and September, though only through small reductions in weekly frequency.
Swiss has said that affected passengers will be notified promptly and offered the option to rebook or receive a full refund. The airline says adjustments are being made as early as possible to minimise disruption.
While Swiss positions these steps as short-term fixes, the situation underscores the lingering consequences of the pandemic and highlights the challenges facing airlines seeking to expand amid a tight labour market and complex fleet transitions.
More on this:
SRF article (in German)
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