Swiss International Air Lines achieved one of the best financial results in its history in the 2024 financial year. The operating result amounted to 684 million Swiss francs, only slightly lower than the record result of the previous year. Operating income rose by six percent to 5,6 billion Swiss francs, reaching a new high. The airline carried around 18 million passengers, an increase of 9,2 percent over the previous year.
The management sees the positive result as confirmation of the successful corporate strategy. CEO Jens Fehlinger emphasized that the strong financial foundation enables investments in the product and punctuality. He announced that Swiss will invest around one billion francs annually over the next five years. This will serve, among other things, to further improve the travel experience and the stability of flight operations.
cost pressure and challenges
Despite the positive overall results, Swiss is facing challenges. Increasing competition in air traffic and the limited availability of spare parts for engines have led to longer downtimes for the short-haul fleet. In addition, there is still high cost pressure. Without one-off special effects that had a positive impact on the annual result, the result would have been even more significantly below the previous year.
Dennis Weber, CFO of Swiss, explained that demand for premium classes in particular remains high. At the same time, business travel is at a stable level. In view of the competition, the company must continue to operate efficiently and invest strategically.
punctuality and operational improvements
Swiss operated around nine percent more flights in 2024. Despite external factors such as airspace closures and bottlenecks in air traffic control, punctuality improved by four percentage points to 65 percent on average over the year. However, according to COO Oliver Buchhofer, there is still room for improvement. Closer cooperation with partners such as Swissport in Zurich should further stabilize operations.
As one measure, a new team of turnaround managers will be introduced in Zurich to speed up the coordination of aircraft handling. Closer cooperation with airport operators and air traffic control is also being sought.
New aircraft and product improvements
A special highlight for Swiss is the introduction of the first Airbus A350 into the fleet. The aircraft is already in final assembly and is due to enter service soon. Pilots, cabin crew and technicians are preparing intensively for it.
In addition, the new "Swiss Senses" concept will be gradually introduced on long-haul flights in 2025. This includes a revised cabin design, new seats in all travel classes, modernized service concepts and expanded offers for passengers. There are also improvements on short-haul flights, including USB ports and internet on board the A320 aircraft.
CCO Heike Birlenbach emphasized that Swiss is making significant investments to increase passenger comfort. In particular, the introduction of the new cabin equipment on long-haul flights will make a noticeable difference.
growth in the freight business
Swiss's air freight business also grew in 2024. Swiss WorldCargo transported around 305.000 tonnes of freight, an increase of 14 percent compared to the previous year. Particularly high-value goods such as precious metals, banknotes and pharmaceutical products accounted for more than half of the total freight volume.
More passengers and higher capacity utilization
With 18 million passengers, Swiss carried more travelers in 2024 than ever before. The number of flights rose by 9,1 percent to over 142.000. The average aircraft load factor of 84,1 percent was only slightly below the previous year's figure.
The figures show that Swiss is further consolidating its position as Switzerland's leading airline. Despite challenges, the company is well positioned to remain successful in the future.
and 