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Edelweiss Air AG is a Swiss leisure and charter airline and the sister company of Swiss International Air Lines and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. It operates flights to European and intercontinental destinations from its base at Zurich Airport.[5]
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| Founded | 19 October 1995[2] | ||||||
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| AOC # | CH.AOC.1007[3] | ||||||
| Operating bases | Zurich Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 18 | ||||||
| Destinations | 65 | ||||||
| Parent company | Swiss International Air Lines[4] | ||||||
| Headquarters | Kloten, Zurich, Switzerland | ||||||
| Key people | Bernd Bauer (CEO) | ||||||
| Founder | Nick Grob | ||||||
| Employees | 540 (January 2015) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Early years
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The airline was founded on 19 October 1995 in Bassersdorf, Switzerland, with just one aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83. The company's name is derived from the Swiss unofficial national flower, the Edelweiss, which is also painted on its aircraft.
The fleet was subsequently expanded and renewed. In 1998, new Airbus A320-200s were introduced to replace the MD-83s, and in 1999 long-haul flights were commenced using the Airbus A330-200.
For seven consecutive years between 2001 and 2008, Edelweiss Air received the golden Travelstar Award for its achievements.[6]
Until November 2008, Edelweiss Air was wholly owned by Kuoni Travel and had 190 employees,[7] when the operating rights were sold to Swiss International Air Lines, in exchange for sale rights of hotel capacities via the Swiss sales network. Following Swiss International Air Lines being acquired by the German Lufthansa Group in 2005, Edelweiss Air also became a subsidiary of Europe's largest airline group at the same time it was acquired by Swiss.[8]
Developments since 2010
In March 2011, Edelweiss Air added the larger Airbus A330-300 to its fleet, with an order having been placed on 5 April 2010.[9] In July 2015, it was announced that Edelweiss would receive four Airbus A340-300s between 2017 and 2018 previously operated by its parent Swiss International Air Lines. The aircraft were used to expand the route network.[10]
In November 2015, Edelweiss introduced a revised livery on one of its Airbus A320-200s which was subsequently applied to the rest of the airline's fleet.[11] In December 2016, Edelweiss Air phased out its sole Airbus A330-200, which was transferred to Brussels Airlines and replaced by Airbus A340-300s inherited from parent Swiss.[12] In 2021, Lufthansa moved Edelweiss Air's two Airbus A330-300s to Eurowings Discover.[13]
As of August 2024[update], Edelweiss Air flies (or has flown) to the following destinations:[14]
Codeshare agreements
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Current fleet
As of June 2024[update], Edelweiss Air operates the following aircraft:[38]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y+ | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 14[39] | — | — | — | 174 | 174 | |
| Airbus A340-300 | 5[39] | — | 27 | 76 | 211 | 314 | To be retired.[40] |
| Airbus A350-900 | — | 6 | 30 | 63 | 246 | 339 | To replace Airbus A340-300 from 2025.[40][41] |
| Total | 19 | 6 | |||||
Former fleet
In the past, Edelweiss Air has previously operated the following aircraft:
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A330-200 | 2 | 2000 | 2016 | [12] |
| Airbus A330-300 | 2 | 2011 | 2021 | [13] |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | 3 | 1996 | 1999 | [42] |
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