SWISS wants to reduce reliance on third-party airlines
Swiss International Airlines’ new Chief Commercial Officer Heike Birlenbach wants to reduce the number of leased flights from Helvetic Airways and Air Baltic.
This practice, referred to in technical jargon as ‘wet leasing’, currently accounts for around a third of SWISS summer flights in Europe.
“We currently have a large number of wet lease aircraft in service,” said the 57-year-old German executive this week at a press meeting at SWISS headquarters in Kloten.
The reason for this recourse to other airlines is due to engine problems of the manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. In practice, because of this glitch, some Swiss aircraft cannot be operated as planned, explained Birlenbach.
“Without wet lease we would be forced to cut several continental routes. This would also have consequences for intercontinental traffic,” said Birlenbach who joined at the beginning of the year. Network stability and quality remain top priority for Swiss, she emphasised.
Among customers Helvetic Airways and Air Baltic are perceived only slightly worse than SWISS. The degree of satisfaction reaches 72%, compared to 76% for the former national airline.
The long-term aim, however, is to reduce dependence on wet leasing, even if it will be impossible to give it up completely. The practice in fact makes it possible to compensate for seasonal differences: ‘In summer and winter we have very different demands,” emphasised Birlenbach.
“In the future we could probably only have one wet lease partner,” and this could happen from 2026, provided that Pratt & Whitney’s problems are resolved. “Helvetic will also remain a strategic partner in the future,” Birlenbach continued, but “by this I do not mean that Air Baltic will be out.”
Adapted from Italian by DeepL/ac
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