Lufthansa mulls importing its future Boeing aircraft via Switzerland

Lufthansa, the parent company of SWISS, plans to import 100 Boeing jets from the US over the next seven years. Keystone-SDA

Lufthansa is considering buying new Boeing aircraft from the United States via Switzerland. This measure could reduce the US trade deficit with Switzerland and thus help the country to avoid punitive customs duties, according to a report in the Tages-Anzeiger.

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The order from German airline Lufthansa, the parent company of SWISS, is for 100 Boeing jets, with a catalogue value of CHF21 billion ($26 billion), to be delivered over the next seven years. They will not be purchased in Malta or Ireland, but via Switzerland, reports the newspaper.

This measure could help to reduce the trade deficit between the US and Switzerland (which amounted to CHF48 billion in the first half of the year, gold deliveries included). Lufthansa had already considered this measure before, in order to circumvent any retaliatory customs duties imposed by the European Union.

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Improving framework conditions

For its part, SWISS declined to comment, but pointed out that the airline’s CEO, Jens Fehlinger, had accompanied a Swiss delegation to the US: “The aim of the trip was to hold discussions at the political level in order to improve the customs policy framework, as previous negotiations had not led to the progress Switzerland had hoped for.”

“The discussions focused in particular on the framework conditions for importing aircraft and the possible options for the Lufthansa Group, for SWISS, as well as for the United States and American companies,” said a SWISS spokesperson. “Statements on the content of these discussions and on the negotiations themselves are reserved for the competent government authorities.”

When questioned by the AWP news agency, Lufthansa did not elaborate on the information either, but said it was “generally-speaking clearly interested in SWISS’ long-term economic success. Fleet purchases are made by the Lufthansa Group in close collaboration with the airlines.”

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Translated from French with DeepL/gw

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