The Lufthansa subsidiary looks to boost pilot training capacity this year.
A SWISS Boeing 777-300ER aircraft (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is cancelling 1,400 flights this summer due to a pilot shortage at the Lufthansa subsidiary.
Switzerland business news organization Awp Finanznachrichten (AWP) broke the news Friday, citing a spokesperson from the carrier who confirmed the decision. According to reporting by SwissInfo.ch, the cancellations will impact long-haul, medium-haul, and short-haul services.
The cancellations are reportedly being caused by “an unusually high number of long-term absences.” Capacity is also being held up by retraining pilots for the new Airbus A350.
The 1,400 flights make up about 1.5% of the total volume of the carrier’s flights between April and October, the SwissInfo report stated.
A new collective labor agreement with the airline’s union has also increased demand for staff by about 70 full-time positions due to reconfigured working time regulations.
With some older pilots delaying their retirement to ease the short-term burden on the carrier, SWISS reportedly plans to expand its cockpit training capacity and hire up to 110 new pilots a year.
SWISS’ parent company, Lufthansa Group, stated earlier this year that it aims to recruit around 10,000 new employees across various aviation professions in 2025. Of these new employees, around 800 pilots are expected to be brought onboard.
Over half of this recruitment is planned to take place in Germany, where Lufthansa is headquartered.
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