SWISS to take delivery of its first Airbus A350-900

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-900, registered as HB-IFA and named ‘Lausanne,’ as the airline aims to modernize its fleet with next-generation widebody aircraft.

According to Flightradar24, the airline’s first A350-900 has a scheduled departure time of 12:55 local time (UTC +2) from Toulouse Blagnac Airport (TLS), where it was assembled, and a scheduled arrival time of around 15:40 local time (UTC +2) at Zurich Airport (ZRH).

To make it even more special, SWISS unveiled that HB-IFA would have the ‘SWISS Wanderlust’ livery, which, according to Heike Birlenbach, the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of the airline, is “a confirmation of how close we feel to our home country; and it’s an invitation to everyone to discover and explore it in all its uniqueness in a playful and creative way.”

The aircraft’s arrival at ZRH will be livestreamed by the airline here:

SWISS announced that it would take delivery of an initial five A350-900 aircraft in December 2022, detailing that the twin-engine widebodies would be replacing the airline’s remaining A340-300s. At the time, it had four A340-300s, with planespotters.net data showing that it still has the quartet, which, on average, are 21.9 years old.

The five A350-900s came from Lufthansa Group’s order for 20 A350-900 aircraft in March 2019, SWISS said, teasing that the widebodies would have “an innovative and state-of-the-art cabin interior in all seating classes.”

That cabin was unveiled in March 2023, with the airline marketing it as the ‘SWISS Senses’ and promising it to be a “commitment to provide outstanding service and comfort to our guests.” In September of that year, the carrier unveiled the cabin layout of its A350-900s, which would seat 242 passengers: three in first, 45 in business, 38 in premium economy, and 156 in economy class.

In comparison, its A340-300s can welcome up to 215 travelers, split between eight first, 42 business, 21 in premium economy, and 144 in economy class, while its Boeing 777-300ERs are configured with eight first, 62 business, 24 premium economy, and 226 economy class seats, totaling up to 320 passengers.

SWISS’ A350-900 developments did not stop there, as in December 2024, it announced that it would welcome another five aircraft of the type, with all 10 being delivered between 2025 and 2031. At the time, the airline said that the initial plan was to welcome the first A350-900 in the summer of 2025.

Real-life mockups of ‘SWISS Senses’ first and business class seats were unveiled at ZRH in July 2025, with the cabin being based on Lufthansa’s new long-haul cabin, branded as ‘Allegris.’ Lufthansa’s Allegris-equipped A350-900s entered service in May 2024, yet not without hiccups, as delays forced the German airline to introduce the aircraft without first class suites.

The first A350-900 with first class suites arrived at Munich Airport (MUC) on October 16, 2024. The aircraft, registered as D-AIXW, began flying commercially on November 9, 2024.

Compared to ‘SWISS Senses,’ Lufthansa’s A350-900 Allegris cabins can welcome more passengers since they are equipped with four first, 38 business, 24 premium economy, and 201 economy class seats, which include the double first class suite at the front of the aircraft.

Nevertheless, Cirium’s Diio Mi showed that SWISS’ first A350-900 should enter service on October 25, flying from ZRH to two Spanish destinations, Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) and Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI).

For the time being, the aircraft’s first long-haul flight should happen on November 20, with a scheduled hop from the Swiss airport to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS). The route is currently served with the airline’s A330-300 aircraft.

SWISS has yet to schedule further long-haul destinations apart from BOS.