Swiss to cut staff, slash fleet amid structural change in business travel

Swiss is moving forward with significant cuts to its workforce and fleet as it prepares for an expected structural change to the the airline’s bread-and-butter business traffic. On Thursday, the Lufthansa Group carrier unveiled plans to slash its staff by 1,700 full-time equivalent employees and shrink its fleet of 90 aircraft by 15 planes in response to these structural changes. The cuts will see Swiss operate fewer frequencies in Europe and likely end some intercontinental routes as it recovers from the Covid-19 crisis, though it plans to retain its dual Geneva and Zurich hubs. “It has grown increasingly clear that our market is undergoing structural change, and that despite the actions which we were swift to take in response, a restructuring of our company now sadly seems unavoidable,” said Swiss CEO Dieter Vranckx. The cuts come as European airlines prepare for some leisure travel recovery this summer. While it is as yet unclear how many countries in the bloc will reopen to travelers, carriers are gearing up to quickly add flights if Covid-19 restrictions are eased. <br/>