Air traffic Edelweiss takes off with new A350 long-haul aircraft
Edelweiss Air presented its latest flagship on Thursday. Numerous aviation fans and curious onlookers watched the first Airbus A350 with Swiss registration land at Zurich Airport on Thursday.
13.03.2025, 18:54
SDA
Visitors eagerly followed a flight tracker on their cell phones as Edelweiss flight WK5159 flew loops in the Valais and Bernese Alps that afternoon. Then, a few minutes after 3 p.m., a giant white bird with a red nose swooped out of the gray cloud cover. An edelweiss measuring over 9 meters is emblazoned on the tail fin.
In front of the spectator terrace in Kloten, the aircraft from Lourdes in France took off. It first circled the airfield and then touched down on the runway. While the plane taxied to the stand, the fuselage, wings and flaps were sprayed with two water fountains from the airport fire department.
The vacation airline Edelweiss welcomed its new arrival with the traditional "Water Salute". The aircraft is one of the six A350s that, as announced, will replace the five old A340s. This will bring Edelweiss' long-haul fleet back up to pre-corona levels.
Less noise and fuel consumption
"We are delighted," said Edelweiss CEO Bernd Bauer in front of the aircraft, "we have been working towards this moment for many months." The A350 modernizes the current fleet. Thanks to the lightweight materials used and the latest engines, the aircraft consumes a quarter less expensive fuel. As a result, it also produces a quarter fewer emissions. In addition, noise is reduced by half, says Bauer.
According to those responsible, the investment in the new long-haul fleet amounts to a high three-digit million sum. Around CHF 80 million in additional revenue is expected to be generated each year.
With its 339 seats, the A350 is somewhat larger than the old A340 with its 314 seats, says Bauer, and can therefore also transport more passengers. Additional employees are also needed for the six new aircraft. "A long-haul aircraft is like a small SME; we employ 120 people per aircraft," says Bauer.
Only occasional seats for the time being
Edelweiss received its A350 before its sister airline Swiss, which will receive its first aircraft in the summer. Swiss will receive a total of ten A350-900s by 2030/31, although these are brand-new Airbus aircraft with a completely new cabin concept. Although the Edelweiss A350s have brand new paintwork, they are second-hand.
The aircraft are between four and eight years old. So that they can be put into service as quickly as possible, the airline has decided not to completely refurbish the interiors of the first four for the time being. Instead, Edelweiss is taking over the seats from its predecessor, the South American airline Latam, for two years. However, the cabin will receive new seat covers, curtains and carpets.
The A350 aircraft, which has just landed and is to be christened "Piz Bernina" on March 27, still has two weeks to do so. On April 1, it is scheduled to take off on normal scheduled flights to Tenerife. From mid-May, it will then transport passengers on long-haul flights to Las Vegas. When the second Airbus A350 enters service at the beginning of July 2025, the Zurich-Vancouver route will be served daily.
By the third quarter of 2027, all six Edelweiss A350-900s will be in service and equipped with the final cabin interiors. The old A340s will be returned to Swiss, from whom Edelweiss had leased the aircraft. What will then happen to them is not yet known, said Bernd Bauer. They could still continue to fly, but they will probably no longer do so in Switzerland, not even within the Lufthansa Group.
