Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) reported on 7 January that 67.3 % of its flights between 22 December and 4 January departed within 15 minutes of schedule—an 8.5-percentage-point improvement year-on-year—despite multiple snowstorms that disrupted hubs across northern Europe. Overall, the carrier transported 629,632 passengers during the peak season and cancelled fewer than 1 % of scheduled services.
Chief Operating Officer Oliver Buchhofer credited expanded winter-ops staffing, new predictive de-icing buffers at Zurich and Geneva, and closer coordination with Lufthansa Group partners for the improved performance. The airline also trialled a machine-learning tool that re-sequences aircraft tails to minimise knock-on delays from late inbound arrivals.
![SWISS posts 8-point jump in holiday-season punctuality despite Europe-wide storms]()
For corporate travel programmes, the figures suggest that SWISS is regaining operational resilience, a key metric for negotiated-fare renewals due this quarter. Travel-management companies note that the carrier’s on-time record now outperforms several major European competitors, potentially tipping the balance in preferred-carrier tenders.
However, SWISS warned that maintaining the gains will depend on infrastructure partners: rail strikes in Germany and a shortage of ATC staff in France could yet impact February half-term traffic. The airline urged companies to encourage travellers to use the re-booking function in the SWISS app rather than call centres, which hit maximum hold times during the 26 December snowstorm.
Long-haul connections benefited most from the improvements, with punctuality on Zürich-New York flights rising to 79 %. Cargo customers also saw lead-times cut by 12 hours on average, thanks to fewer missed trucking windows at the airline’s Zürich Pharma Hub.
Chief Operating Officer Oliver Buchhofer credited expanded winter-ops staffing, new predictive de-icing buffers at Zurich and Geneva, and closer coordination with Lufthansa Group partners for the improved performance. The airline also trialled a machine-learning tool that re-sequences aircraft tails to minimise knock-on delays from late inbound arrivals.
For corporate travel programmes, the figures suggest that SWISS is regaining operational resilience, a key metric for negotiated-fare renewals due this quarter. Travel-management companies note that the carrier’s on-time record now outperforms several major European competitors, potentially tipping the balance in preferred-carrier tenders.
However, SWISS warned that maintaining the gains will depend on infrastructure partners: rail strikes in Germany and a shortage of ATC staff in France could yet impact February half-term traffic. The airline urged companies to encourage travellers to use the re-booking function in the SWISS app rather than call centres, which hit maximum hold times during the 26 December snowstorm.
Long-haul connections benefited most from the improvements, with punctuality on Zürich-New York flights rising to 79 %. Cargo customers also saw lead-times cut by 12 hours on average, thanks to fewer missed trucking windows at the airline’s Zürich Pharma Hub.
Source: SWISS Newsroom
