Swissair

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New York, New York: passengers on a Swissair DC-4 take a closer look at the 1940s skyline. (RDB, photo montage)

Ramping it up: loading luggage at Zurich airport in 1948. (RDB)

Taking care of future frequent fliers, Zurich, 1959. (RDB) RDB

The Rolling Stones arrive in Zurich on April 14, 1967 for their first ever Swiss gig. (Keystone) Keystone

Four hearses carry the remains of 43 people from the village of Humlikon in canton Zurich. The dead were among 80 people killed when a Swissair plane crashed in Dürrenäsch on September 4, 1963. Humlikon lost one-fifth of its population as a result of the crash.(RDB)

Wreckage of a Convair CV-990 which crashed on a flight to Tel Aviv over Würenlingen near Zurich on February 21, 1970 after a bomb planted by Palestinian terrorists exploded in the hold. A total of 38 passengers and nine crew members died in the explosion.(RDB)

Dining in style: silver cutlery and porcelain crockery used for an in-flight buffet in 1984. (RDB)

Waiting for Pope John Paul II to arrive at Sion airport in 1984.(RDB)

Skier Michael von Grünigen posing for his sponsor in 1999.(Keystone) Keystone

Family members of some of the 229 people who died on Swissair flight 111 that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Nova Scotia, Canada gather on January 1, 1999 to pay homage to the victims.(Keystone) Keystone

Deflated: SAirGroup shares fall dramatically on March 13, 2001. (Keystone) Keystone

A beached pilot: on October 2, 2001 Swissair grounded all its flights because it was unable to meet everyday expenses such as fuel bills and landing fees. (Keystone) Keystone

Several hundred planes, including two Swissair MD-11s, wait in the Californian Mojave desert to be sold, July 3, 2002. (Keystone) Keystone

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A history in pictures.

Swissair was the former national airline of Switzerland, created in 1931. For nearly 71 years, it was known as the “Flying Bank” due to the financial stability of the airline. But a failed expansion strategy and the economic turndown led to the grounding of the airline in October 2001. It was kept alive until March 31 2002 by the Swiss government, then replaced by Swiss International Airlines.