As launch customer for the A220 and now with a burgeoning fleet of A320neo Family aircraft, Swiss International Air Lines is well placed to provide an operator’s perspective on Airbus’s latest generation narrowbodies. Airliner World’s Craig West spoke with short-haul fleet chief Daniel Rodmanis to get the carrier’s take on these aircraft
Much has been made of the high degree of commonality Airbus offers across its narrowbody families, for good reason. For customers, this translates to lower training and operating costs – fewer spares are needed to maintain the fleet, aircraft can be right-sized to suit traffic levels on a given day and crews can switch seamlessly across multiple types.
Swiss International Air Lines is acutely familiar with these advantages. Swissair, its predecessor, acquired its first A320 Family aircraft in 1995, while the current iteration has operated A319, A320 and A321ceos. In February 2020, the Zurich-based flag carrier added its first A320neos, since complemented by the A321neo. Tellingly, the airline had to do very little in the way of preparation ahead of the arrival of its latest generation narrowbodi…
