Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) reported on 7 January that 67.3 % of its flights between 22 December and 4 January departed within 15 minutes of schedule—an 8.5-percentage-point improvement year-on-year—despite multiple snowstorms that disrupted hubs across northern Europe. Overall, the carrier transported 629,632 passengers during the peak season and cancelled fewer than 1 % of scheduled services.
Chief Operating Officer Oliver Buchhofer credited expanded winter-ops staffing, new predictive de-icing buffers at Zurich and Geneva, and closer coordination with Lufthansa Group partners for the improved performance. The airline also trialled a machine-learning tool that re-sequences aircraft tails to minimise knock-on delays from late inbound arrivals.
For corporate travel programmes, the figures suggest that SWISS is regaining operational resilience, a key metric for negotiated-fare renewals due this quarter. Travel-management companies note that the carrier’s on-time record now outperforms several major European competitors, potentially tipping the balance in preferred-carrier tenders.
![SWISS posts 8-point jump in holiday-season punctuality despite Europe-wide storms]()
Travellers finalising their itineraries with SWISS may also need to confirm visa requirements for Switzerland or onward destinations. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) streamlines this process by providing up-to-date entry rules, digital application tools, and expedited processing—particularly valuable for corporate travel managers who must secure documents quickly when schedules change at short notice.
However, SWISS warned that maintaining the gains will depend on infrastructure partners: rail strikes in Germany and a shortage of ATC staff in France could yet impact February half-term traffic. The airline urged companies to encourage travellers to use the re-booking function in the SWISS app rather than call centres, which hit maximum hold times during the 26 December snowstorm.
Long-haul connections benefited most from the improvements, with punctuality on Zürich-New York flights rising to 79 %. Cargo customers also saw lead-times cut by 12 hours on average, thanks to fewer missed trucking windows at the airline’s Zürich Pharma Hub.
Chief Operating Officer Oliver Buchhofer credited expanded winter-ops staffing, new predictive de-icing buffers at Zurich and Geneva, and closer coordination with Lufthansa Group partners for the improved performance. The airline also trialled a machine-learning tool that re-sequences aircraft tails to minimise knock-on delays from late inbound arrivals.
For corporate travel programmes, the figures suggest that SWISS is regaining operational resilience, a key metric for negotiated-fare renewals due this quarter. Travel-management companies note that the carrier’s on-time record now outperforms several major European competitors, potentially tipping the balance in preferred-carrier tenders.
Travellers finalising their itineraries with SWISS may also need to confirm visa requirements for Switzerland or onward destinations. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) streamlines this process by providing up-to-date entry rules, digital application tools, and expedited processing—particularly valuable for corporate travel managers who must secure documents quickly when schedules change at short notice.
However, SWISS warned that maintaining the gains will depend on infrastructure partners: rail strikes in Germany and a shortage of ATC staff in France could yet impact February half-term traffic. The airline urged companies to encourage travellers to use the re-booking function in the SWISS app rather than call centres, which hit maximum hold times during the 26 December snowstorm.
Long-haul connections benefited most from the improvements, with punctuality on Zürich-New York flights rising to 79 %. Cargo customers also saw lead-times cut by 12 hours on average, thanks to fewer missed trucking windows at the airline’s Zürich Pharma Hub.
