SWISS to cease Basel flight operations as announced at the end of May 2015

As previously announced, Swiss International Air Lines is to terminate its flight operations at EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg at the end of May 2015. The changed market environment and difficult political parameters offer no prospect of a premium carrier such as SWISS being able to operate profitably in Basel. SWISS’s Basel-based maintenance and station personnel can be further employed elsewhere. The decision to cease these operations has been taken independently of whether Basel may be chosen as a future Eurowings base of the Lufthansa Group.

As previously announced, SWISS will cease its flight operations at EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg at the end of May 2015, since these have failed to generate a profit ever since they were commenced. The decision has been taken independently of whether Basel may be chosen as a future Eurowings base of the Lufthansa Group.

Changed market environment and difficult political parameters

Basel has seen substantial changes in its market environment and customer needs. The region has evolved into a low-cost-carrier market; and the already difficult conditions have been exacerbated by the continuing legal uncertainties over the adoption of French tax law and the additional fees that have been announced for the EuroAirport, which stands on French soil. “For a premium carrier like SWISS it is simply impossible to operate profitably in this market environment,” concedes Harry Hohmeister, CEO of Swiss International Air Lines.

SWISS will continue to link Basel with the world by air from its Zurich hub, which already shares much of the Basel catchment area. And SWISS’s sister Lufthansa Group carriers Lufthansa, Germanwings, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines will continue to offer flights from Basel to their Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf, Vienna and Brussels hubs.

Personnel affected can be further employed

The cessation of SWISS’s Basel flight operations will affect 24 aircraft line maintenance and station personnel. All these employees will be offered alternative positions. The termination of these Basel operations will have no impact on SWISS’s flying personnel, as no crews are based there. The two SWISS aircraft currently stationed in Basel will be transferred to Zurich and deployed in the further expansion of the Zurich-based network. The action will also have no effect on the personnel in SWISS’s administrative offices at the EuroAirport.