Swiss Airbus planes must limit their top speed at altitude
A Swiss Airbus A220 in Geneva, September 2019.
Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi
Airbus A220 planes, which make up almost half of the European fleet of Swiss International Air Lines, have been ordered to avoid flying at maximum power over a certain altitude.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/dos
Português
pt
Aviões Airbus da Swiss terão que limitar velocidade máxima em altitude
The directive, published on Monday by the Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA), follows a similar decision by Airbus Canada and the Canadian authorities, prompted by several technical problems in recent months.
FOCA notes that pilots should limit the power output of the A220s to 94% of the maximum, once the aircraft is flying at an altitude of 29,000 feet. Full gas-flying could lead to engine problems and damage, it says.
Furthermore, the planes should not fly above an altitude of 35,000 feet when the weather conditions point towards the development of frost. At this altitude, according to Airbus, activating the anti-freeze system could lead to over-heating in the engine, thus setting off a fire alarm and leading to an emergency landing.
Grounded
The rules were prompted by several problems experienced by Swiss in recent months.
In August, a flight to London operated by the company had to make an emergency landing in Paris after losing several engine parts along the route. Then, two weeks ago, Swiss was forced to briefly ground its fleet of A220s for inspection, although all 29 were cleared to return to service soon after.
The temporary grounding forced the airline to cancel about 100 flights, affecting some 10,000 passengers.
Swiss relies heavily on the A220, also known as the Bombardier C-Series, which makes up almost half of its European fleet.
More
More
Inspected Swiss Airbus jets gradually return to service
This content was published on
Swiss International Airlines has resumed flights with its Airbus A220 jets following a brief grounding of its fleet on Tuesday.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Artist Saype pays tribute to women’s football in Geneva
This content was published on
Franco-Swiss artist Saype unveiled a fresco on grass in Geneva, paying tribute to women’s football on the eve of the 2025 Euro.
Swiss voters to decide on three issues on November 30
This content was published on
Compulsory service for all, a tax on million-dollar inheritances, more indirect subsidies for media publishers: the electorate can vote on these three national issues on November 30.
Dollar falls to lowest level against franc in 14 years
This content was published on
The weakness of the dollar in recent weeks continues. The greenback hit new lows for the year against both the franc and the euro on Tuesday.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
French authorities ask public to find parts of Swiss plane engine
This content was published on
France’s aviation safety body has called on the public to assist in the recovery of engine parts of a Swiss International Airlines plane.
This content was published on
On the centenary of the first non-stop transatlantic flight, we look at the groundbreaking achievements of some Swiss aviation pioneers.
This content was published on
A SWISS aeroplane had to circle in the sky for five hours after a technical problem occurred shortly after take-off from Zurich on Friday evening.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.