SWISS’ subsidiary airline, Edelweiss Air will be finally completely refreshing its long-haul fleet replacing aged Airbus A340s with a newer A350s.
Edelweiss Air to Acquire Six Airbus A350-900s From 2025
Today, Edelweiss has announced that the airline will be acquiring six highly efficient Airbus A350-900s, which will join its fleet one by one in the summer of 2025. Here is the airline’s plan of acquisition:
- By the end of 2026, the existing five Airbus A340-300s will be retired
- The first A350-900 will join the fleet in 2025
- Edelweiss’ long-haul fleet will be restored to pre-Corona levels with the new aircraft
- Edelweiss will be acquiring four A350-900s from LATAM as the airline retired all of the A350s during the pandemic
Edelweiss currently has a fleet of five Airbus A340-300s for its long-haul network. These aircraft have an average of 20 years, which is quite old so it was inevitable for the airline to modernize its fleet. Here is how Edelweiss CEO Bernd Bauer describes:
“The modernisation of the long-haul fleet is a milestone in Edelweiss’ almost 30-year history. Edelweiss will thus operate one of the youngest long-haul fleets in Europe from 2026.”
“The design of the Airbus A350-900 sets new standards in efficiency with state-of-the-art technologies and outstanding aerodynamics. It is one of the most environmentally friendly long-haul aircraft in the world. Latest generation engines and the use of lightweight materials make the twin-engine Airbus A350-900 one of the most fuel-efficient wide-body aircraft. It consumes 25 per cent less fuel and produces 25 per cent less CO2 than the four-engine Airbus A340-300, and noise emissions are up to 50 per cent lower.”
Bernd Bauer, Edelweiss CEO
Edelweiss Air’s Airbus A350-900 Cabin Layout
As I mentioned above, Edelweiss will be getting its first four A350s previously operated by LATAM and offer the same product as it was initially. The only change will be slight modifications to the cabin and Edelweiss design
The cabin of the initial A350s will feature a total of 339 seats:
- 30 full-flat seats in Business Class
- 63 Economy Max seats with more legroom and a greater reclining angle
- 246 seats in standard Economy Class
LATAM’s former Business Class cabin is configured in a 2-2-2 layout while the rest of the class has a 3-3-3 layout. Moreover, all passengers will benefit from high-resolution touchscreens and USB power at every seat.
The reason why the airline is keeping the original operator’s configuration is due to worldwide material shortages and reduced maintenance and engineering capacities. Eventually, Edelweiss will install a completely new cabin configuration with new seats in the future which will significantly enhance comfort and the travel experience for all guests. This represents a “three-digit million sum.”
Summary
SWISS’ leisure subsidiary, Edelweiss Air will be acquiring six Airbus A350-900s which will be replacing its five aged-out Airbus A340-300s. As the airline plans to retire the A340s by 2026, the A350s will be joining the fleet between 2025 and 2026.
Some A350s were a former LATAM fleet therefore you can expect a LATAM-style cabin initially until Edelweiss introduces a new cabin at a later date.
