Aviation Biju John | October 22, 2026

Big Ben and the Big Apple: SWISS looks back on a successful autumn holiday season

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) looks back on a successful autumn holiday period. Between 25 September and 18 October 2026, a total of 1,334,655 passengers travelled with SWISS. The airline operated 10,154 flights during this period. Compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, SWISS carried 1.5 per cent fewer passengers.

Improved Punctuality
- 68% of SWISS flights departed on time during the autumn holiday period.
- A flight is considered punctual if it departs within 15 minutes of its scheduled departure time.
- Departure punctuality improved by 3.7 percentage points compared to the corresponding period last year.
- The improvement reflects optimized operational processes implemented in collaboration with the airline's partners.

High Operational Stability
- Operational stability remained at a strong 98.2% throughout the holiday period.
- The stability rate measures the proportion of flights actually operated compared to those scheduled twelve weeks in advance.
- The result demonstrates the reliability of SWISS's operational network despite high travel demand.

Management Commentary
- Oliver Buchhofer, Chief Operating Officer of SWISS, highlighted the importance of maintaining reliable operations during concentrated peak travel periods.
- He attributed the punctuality gains to improved operational processes and close cooperation with partners.
- He noted that the high operational stability rate confirms that the airline's operational system is functioning effectively.
- He stated that SWISS intends to build on these positive results in the future.

Most Popular European Destinations
- London Heathrow (LHR) was the most popular European destination during the autumn holiday season.
- Palma de Mallorca (PMI) ranked second among European routes.
- Berlin (BER) secured third place in the European destination rankings.

Most Popular Long-Haul Destinations
- New York JFK (JFK) emerged as the most popular long-haul destination in the SWISS network.
- Chicago (ORD) ranked second among long-haul destinations.
- Boston (BOS) completed the top three most popular intercontinental destinations.
- Destinations in the United States dominated long-haul demand during the holiday period.