Swiss International Air Lines

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS), Swiss airline formed in 2002 following the bankruptcy of Swiss Air Transport Company Ltd. (Swissair). The airline serves cities in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and North and Latin America.

Swissair was founded on March 26, 1931, in the merger of Basler Luftverkehr (Balair, founded in 1925) and Ad Astra Aero (founded in 1919). Ownership was shared by Swiss national and cantonal governments (24 percent) and private investors (76 percent). From its predecessors Swissair inherited routes within Switzerland and from Switzerland to the German Rhineland cities and to Lyon in France. In 1932 the airline adopted the Lockheed Orion monoplane, giving it the fastest express service between Zürich, Munich, and Vienna. Scheduled services were suspended during World War II. Swissair resumed regular flights in 1946 and by 1949 had begun transatlantic service between Switzerland and New York City. In the 1950s routes to South America and East Asia were added, and the airline began flying to Tokyo in 1961. Swissair later added destinations in Africa and the Middle East. In 1981 the holding company Swissair Participation SA was created to run the nonairline subsidiaries, including hotel, restaurant, airline catering, real estate, travel agency, and freight operations.

In the late 1990s Swissair began experiencing difficulties. A Swissair airliner flying from New York City to Geneva, Switzerland, caught fire and crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1998, killing all 229 people aboard. Although investigators were unable to confirm the cause of the accident, they suspected faulty wiring. Swissair’s rapid expansion during the 1990s (achieved in part by investments in other airlines) led to financial difficulties, which were further exacerbated by the decrease in travel following the September 11, 2001, attacks. In late 2001 Swissair entered bankruptcy, and on March 31, 2002, it ceased operations. Crossair (Swissair’s regional carrier) and other elements of Swissair were reorganized to form Swiss International Air Lines (known as SWISS). The airline became part of the Lufthansa Group in 2005.