A plan to move Airbus A320 aircraft between Lufthansa Group carriers Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines (Swiss) and Edelweiss Air, the leisure carrier sister of Swiss, is set to begin in the coming months.
A swap of five Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan (GTF)-powered A320neos from Austrian to Edelweiss Air will allow the Zurich-based carrier to phase out three of its oldest A320ceos.
As Austrian is on the path for CFM Leap-powered A320neo-family aircraft, three of those five GTF-powered A320neos will replace the oldest A320s in the Edelweiss fleet, which have been in service for 26 years. Two A320neos will be for growth.
In October, a former Swiss A320ceo will join the Edelweiss Air fleet, as well as the airline’s very first A320neo in April 2026, which is also a former Swiss aircraft.
“The reason for the transfer [of the A320neo from Swiss to Edelweiss Air] is to optimize aircraft deployment between the two sister companies at Zurich,” an Edelweiss Air spokesperson told Aviation Week Sept. 11. “Swiss currently operates exclusively A320neos and A321neos with [Pratt] engines, which is why harmonizing operations with Edelweiss for the joint maintenance site in Zurich makes sense.”
Edelweiss’ fleet portfolio is regularly evaluated from an operational, financial, and strategic perspective. “based on this, Edelweiss currently does not plan to add an A321/A321neo to its fleet,” the spokesperson says.
Fleet planning envisages converting the short-haul fleet to A320neos in the long term. “The exact timeline depends on, among other things, on aircraft availability and is therefore not yet finalized,” he says.
By 2028, Edelweiss Air’s short-haul fleet will operate a total of 18 A320/A320neo family aircraft.
In its long-haul segment, Edelweiss Air has two A350-900s in its fleet besides five A340-300s. Edelweiss launched its A350-900 operations on April 1. By the end of this year, two-thirds of its long-haul routes will be served by A350s.
“We are very pleased with the results achieved so far with the A350. The A350 has met our expectations in terms of operational stability, fuel and emissions savings, and guest feedback,” the spokesperson says.
This summer, Las Vegas (LAS), Vancouver (YVR), and several short-haul destinations were served by the A350 for crew training.
“With the upcoming winter schedule and two additional A350s, 14 of 19 long-haul destinations will be served with the new fleet type starting in January 2026,” the spokesperson says. “The third A350 will enter service on the Edelweiss route network starting Sept. 30, and the fourth A350 starting Dec. 15.”
The remaining two of a total of six ordered A350s will join the fleet at the end of 2026 and begin operations with an already converted cabin in early 2027.
“After the cabin refurbishments of all A350s are complete, the long-haul fleet will then consist solely of A350s, which will then fly to all of our long-haul holiday destinations,” the spokesperson says.
