SWISS has confirmed that it has cancelled 1,400 flights till October and suspended some routes due to a shortage of pilots.
All routes between the UK and Switzerland will continue, it said, but the number of flights to and from Zurich will be reduced.
SWISS currently flies between Zurich and London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London City, Birmingham and Manchester.
Its flights between the UK and Geneva are not affected, it said. However, UK passengers transferring onto the airline’s flights to Shanghai or Chicago could be hit by cancellations until June and again in September and October as the airline is reducing its frequency from daily to four flights a week.
SWISS has also been forced to reduce its service on multiple short-haul routes from Geneva and on ‘a few’ European routes from Zurich in August and September. It has also suspended its flights to Hurghada in Egypt.
Its spokesperson said: “SWISS currently has a shortage of pilots to ensure that all scheduled flights can be operated. Around 1,400 flights are affected. We deeply regret the current situation, as our top priority is to provide a stable flight schedule for our passengers and a good working environment for our employees.
“We have responded immediately to the situation and agreed on measures with our social partner AEROPERS to alleviate the situation in the short term and find a sustainable solution to the structural challenges in the longer term.
“Essentially, these measures include a voluntary retirement model (later retirement), voluntary vacation buyback, and voluntary adjustments to part-time employment. We are continuing to work intensively on solutions to further improve the situation.”
SWISS said changes to its flight schedule ‘will be made as early as possible’ and passengers will be switched to the ‘best alternative SWISS flight’ or other airlines in the Lufthansa Group.
“If this is not an option either, we will look for alternatives within the Star Alliance. And finally, if this is not possible, we will use all available airlines. If a flight cannot be operated, our customers always have the option of rebooking their flight free of charge and independently to a date of their choice or canceling their ticket – in which case the ticket price will be refunded in full,” it added.
