On March 13th, the first Airbus A350 with Swiss registration arrived at Zurich Airport. The aircraft, with the registration HB-IHF, had previously taken off from Lourdes Airport (LDE).
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After a planned go-around manoeuvre, the A350 made a celebratory lap of the airport before finally touching down safely on runway 16 at 3:13 p.m. The aircraft taxied down the runway accompanied by follow-me vehicles and was greeted with a water salute from the fire engines of the Zurich Protection & Rescue service. The Airbus A350 then headed for its parking position B38. More than 100 employees and the Edelweiss management team were already waiting there to give the newest member of the fleet and its flight crew a fitting welcome.
Edelweiss is procuring 6 Airbus A350-900s. By mid-2027, the 5 existing long-haul Airbus A340-300 aircraft will be replaced and Edelweiss’ long-haul fleet will be expanded back to its pre-coronavirus level of 6 aircraft.
Normal scheduled services will commence on 1st April
Tenerife marks the start of the Edelweiss Airbus A350 era. Initially, the Airbus A350 will fly short- and medium-haul routes, to allow the crew to be trained. From mid-May 2025, the aircraft will then be deployed on long-haul routes, starting with Las Vegas. With the introduction of the second Airbus A350 from the beginning of July 2025, the Zurich-Vancouver-Zurich route will be operated daily.
