SWISS names Airbus A340 “Altdorf”

SWISS Airbus A340-300 HB-JMN was formally named “Altdorf” after the capital of Switzerland’s Canton Uri this morning. The naming was jointly performed at Zurich Airport by Bruno Gehrig, Chairman of the SWISS Board of Directors, and Christine Widmer Baumann, the Mayor of Altdorf. The ceremony was also attended by further invitees and media representatives from the Central Swiss canton, which was one of the three founders of the original Swiss Confederation.

“We are delighted that Altdorf, which is so closely linked to the William Tell story, now features on one of our aircraft,” said SWISS Board Chairman Bruno Gehrig at today’s ceremony. “And we are honoured that we will now be carrying this name – one of the most historic in all of Switzerland – all over the world.”

It was a moment of pleasure and pride for Altdorf Mayor Christine Widmer Baumann, too: “We are extremely proud that our town will now serve as an ambassador for SWISS, and will in future be at home in so many cities all over the world.” HB-JMN is the 22nd SWISS long-haul aircraft to receive the name of one of the country’s cantonal capitals.

The Airbus A340 (of which SWISS operates the -300 version) is the largest aircraft in the SWISS fleet, with a length of 63.7 metres and seating for 219 passengers. The four-engined aircraft has a range of up to 11 000 kilometres, and is operated on the carrier’s intercontinental routes between Switzerland and Asia, Africa and North and South America. HB-JMN “Altdorf” took off shortly after today’s naming ceremony on its first scheduled service in its new guise, operating flight LX 64 to Miami.