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SWISS to Begin Airbus A350 Pilot Training in Advance of First Delivery in Summer 2025

Joe Breitfeller

Starting at the beginning of February 2025, SWISS will begin training cockpit crew members to fly the new Airbus A350.  The training will use the new A350 full-flight simulator, which was recently installed by Lufthansa Aviation Training Switzerland.


SWISS Airbus A350-900 Rendering - Courtesy SWISS
SWISS Airbus A350-900 Rendering - Courtesy SWISS

On Wednesday (January 29, 2025), Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) announced that they will commence Airbus A350 pilot training from early February.  Training will include use of the new A350 full-flight simulator, which was recently installed by Lufthansa Aviation Training Switzerland (LAT CH) at their Opfikon training facility.  Over the course of the year, SWISS plans on training over 50 pilots on the new widebody twinjet aircraft.  The start of training marks another milestone in the carrier’s fleet renewal program, as SWISS prepares their first Airbus A350 to enter passenger revenue service in summer 2025. 


In Wednesday’s announcement, SWISS’ Chief Operating Officer, Oliver Buchhofer, said,


“The Airbus A350 marks another major milestone for us at SWISS.  It underlines our commitment to investing in a state-of-the-art long-haul aircraft fleet; and it will raise both our efficiency and our passenger comfort to further new highs.  The arrival of the A350 is special, too, for our pilots who will fly it.  A new aircraft type is not just an exciting new professional undertaking: it’s a further landmark in their flying career.  And with the start of our A350 simulator training, we’re laying the foundation to put the new twinjet into our scheduled operations later this year.


“We’re very grateful that, with the addition of the Airbus A350, we can continue to have the training for all our cockpit and all our cabin crew members on all our aircraft types conducted at LAT’s Opfikon training center.  This really simplifies our planning.  And it further enhances the attractiveness and the importance of this key local training facility.”


The New A350 Full-Flight Simulator, Which Was Recently Installed by Lufthansa Aviation Training Switzerland (LAT CH) at Their Opfikon Training Facility - Courtesy SWISS



SWISS will receive the first of ten brand new Airbus A350-900s this summer, which will progressively replace the carrier’s A340-400 fleet.  As pilots are trained on the new aircraft type for the airline, the new LAT CH Airbus A350 full-flight simulator will be in use 24/7 from February 2025.  As previously mentioned, SWISS plans on training over 50 pilots this year, and a further 90 from 2026 onwards. SWISS’ cabin crew members will also be trained at the facility to serve on the new Airbus A350 from March onwards.  The aircraft training mock-ups and other equipment have already been installed at LAT’s Opfikon training facility.  The carrier plans on training around 1,800 cabin crew by the end of this year.


 

Source: Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS)

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