SWISS soars: Over 500,000 passengers safely transported in festive season

Thursday, January 4, 2024

During the Christmas and New Year holiday season, SWISS experienced a surge in travel activity, evident in the increased number of passengers. The airline is pleased to share that it successfully transported a total of 546,961 travelers during this festive period. Notably, SWISS maintained a commendable operational performance, with nearly 99 percent of its flights executed as per schedule. This accomplishment is noteworthy considering the challenges posed by adverse weather conditions at airports, leading to some delays, and significant instances of sickness-related absences among both ground and flying personnel.

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has reported an overall positive performance in its flight operations for the Christmas and New Year holiday season. From December 22, 2023, to January 2, 2024, the company efficiently conveyed 546,961 passengers to their destinations. This resulted in a schedule stability of 98.5 percent, indicating the proportion of total flights operated as planned, albeit with possible delays. In comparison, during the previous Christmas and New Year holiday period, SWISS transported 467,955 passengers with a schedule stability of 99.4 percent.

Oliver Buchhofer, SWISS Head of Operations, expressed satisfaction with the achieved objectives, emphasizing the ability to maintain schedules even during the bustling Christmas days. He acknowledged the challenge posed by the holiday season and credited the exceptional dedication of SWISS employees for successfully meeting and mastering this challenge.

Despite the overall positive performance, the last two weeks of the holiday season saw some delays and 58 flight cancellations, primarily attributed to challenging weather conditions such as strong winds, frost, and snow. Additionally, sickness-related absences due to colds and flu affected operations. Buchhofer extended gratitude to the employees and partners who contributed significantly to passenger services during this period.

Approximately 17 percent of all SWISS flights arrived at their destination with delays exceeding 30 minutes, while 58 percent of departures were on time, taking off within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure time. Recognizing that most delays occur at the airport before departure, SWISS remains committed to prioritizing schedule stability, particularly during the festive season, to ensure passengers can celebrate the holidays with their loved ones.

SWISS had previously announced initiatives during the summer to enhance the punctuality of its flights, underscoring the airline’s ongoing commitment to operational improvements.

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