SWISS Introduces A350 and ‘SWISS Senses’ to Korea

The A350

Swiss International Air Lines is pleased to announce that from March 29, 2026, it will deploy its latest Airbus A350 on the Zurich–Seoul route, marking the debut of both the aircraft and the ‘SWISS Senses’ new cabin products and services concept in Korea.

The A350 is the first SWISS aircraft to feature a fully redesigned cabin, unveiling a new era of long-haul experience under the SWISS Senses. Introduced globally in late 2025, the concept emphasizes comfort, well-being, and contemporary Swiss design and Korea is the first market in Asia to welcome this latest generation of premium travel.

The new cabins across four travel classes - First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy - offer more space, privacy, and cutting-edge technology, along with enriched service and design details that elevate the onboard experience.

SWISS First now features the exclusive Single Suite and Suite Plus, redefining space and luxury. In SWISS Business, five individual seat types - Classic Seat, Privacy Seat, Extra Long Bed Seat, Extra Space Seat and Business Suite - let travelers personalize their needs at every level.

SWISS Senses also includes upgraded cabin services across all classes. From elegant tableware to refined menus and thoughtful details, it brings Swiss hospitality to life from takeoff to landing.

The A350

According to Felipe Bonifatti, Vice President Asia Pacific, Middle East and Joint Ventures East, “The introduction of SWISS Senses in Korea marks an important strategic milestone for our Asia Pacific business. As the first market in the region to receive this premium Airbus A350 aircraft, Korea sets a clear benchmark for the expansion of our premium offering, strengthening customer loyalty, partner confidence and long-term value."

The completely redesigned cabin combines modern design with enhanced comfort and greater privacy. A calm atmosphere and a contemporary lighting concept accompany the flight. The “Human Centric Lighting” system helps passengers reduce the effects of jet lag. An upgraded service offering, featuring refined menus and thoughtful details, brings Swiss hospitality to life – from the first apéritif to landing the following morning in Seoul.

As Leo Tonidandel, Country Manager Korea, highlights, “Korea is a high-value market with strong premium demand across both corporate and leisure travel. Introducing Swiss Senses on the new A350 strengthens our proposition for customers, supports the success of our partners, and reflects our long-term investment in Korea as a core premium market.”

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SWISS Unveils the First Grand Suite: A Loft Above the Clouds

SWISS First Grand Suite

A New Benchmark in First Class Air Travel

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is redefining luxury in the skies with its all-new SWISS First Grand Suite. This revolutionary offering expands the airline’s First Class experience, providing travelers with unprecedented space, privacy, and flexibility. Designed to cater to discerning premium passengers, the Grand Suite transforms two adjoining First Class suites into a single, expansive area that can serve as a bedroom, office, or meeting space.

Elevated Privacy and Flexibility for Top Travelers

The SWISS First Grand Suite is aimed at travelers who value calm, discretion, and personalization. With walls over 1.8 meters high, the suite ensures maximum privacy for couples, families, or business travelers. Guests can use the space freely, whether working, dining, or resting. The suite’s layout allows passengers to enjoy uninterrupted time in their own exclusive environment while still experiencing the hallmark SWISS First Class service.

Personalized Service at 30,000 Feet

SWISS’s new Grand Suite is part of the broader SWISS Senses cabin and service concept, which focuses on tailoring the flight experience to each passenger’s individual rhythm. From gourmet meals to customized in-flight service, the Grand Suite guarantees a premium journey that combines comfort, convenience, and privacy. Chief Commercial Officer Heike Birlenbach describes the suite as a “loft aloft,” offering a space that passengers can truly call their own during their flight.

Availability and Fleet Integration

SWISS First Grand Suite

The SWISS First Grand Suite will be introduced in early 2026 on the new Airbus A350s and refurbished Airbus A330s operating long-haul routes from Switzerland. Select Boeing 777s will feature the suite at a later stage. This new offering complements the existing First Class products, including the Single Suite and Suite Plus, which can also be configured for two travelers. Booking is available exclusively through the SWISS First hotline, offering concierge service for up to three passengers.

Why SWISS First Grand Suite Stands Out

With the SWISS First Grand Suite, passengers gain a truly personal travel experience. The combination of exceptional privacy, flexible space, and premium service makes it a standout choice for travelers seeking a top-tier journey above the clouds. Whether for business or leisure, the Grand Suite promises an air travel experience that is as individualized as it is luxurious.

Contact for Bookings and More Information
Website: www.swiss.com
SWISS First Hotline: +41 848 700 700

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Air India and Lufthansa Group announce significant expansion of codeshare partnership: ~60 additional routes across 12 Indian and 26 European cities

Air India

• Air India and Lufthansa Group to codeshare on ~100 routes across the Indian Subcontinent, Europe, Australia & the Americas
• New codeshare agreement between Air India and Austrian Airlines
• Expanded agreements between Air India, Lufthansa and SWISS

Air India and Lufthansa Group have agreed to build on their longstanding codeshare partnership, which sees Air India enter into a new codeshare agreement with Austrian Airlines, as well as expand the existing codeshare agreements between Air India, Lufthansa, and Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS).

The expanded partnership significantly boosts flight options and connectivity for travellers between the Indian Subcontinent and Europe with the addition of close to 60 codeshare routes operated by the four airlines across 12 Indian and 26 European cities.

The expanded agreements increase the total number of codeshare routes between Air India, Lufthansa and SWISS from 55 to nearly 100. Additionally, the new agreement between Air India and Austrian Airlines adds 26 codeshare routes. This provides greater choice, convenience, and seamless experiences to travellers from both regions.

Customers of Lufthansa Group will now be able to connect to Air India’s domestic services to or from 15 points within India, namely Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Goa Mopa, Goa Dabolim, Hyderabad, Indore, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, and Thiruvananthapuram. Additionally, Lufthansa Group carriers will add their respective designator codes to Air India’s international services to 3 destinations from Delhi and Mumbai: Kathmandu, Melbourne, and Sydney.

Additionally, flights currently operated by Air India and Lufthansa Group carriers between India and Germany or Switzerland will be covered under the expanded codeshare partnership. For example, customers who wish to fly between Delhi and Frankfurt will now have three daily flight options each way with ‘LH’ flight numbers, including two flights operated by Air India and one flight operated by Lufthansa.

Reciprocally, Air India will now offer its customers a total of 26 destinations across Europe and 3 destinations in the Americas beyond its gateways in Europe (Frankfurt, Vienna, and Zurich), with the ‘AI’ designator code placed on the following services operated by airlines in the Lufthansa Group, including Austrian Airlines for the first time:

Lufthansa

Lufthansa

Between Frankfurt and: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Bremen, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Dublin, Geneva, Hamburg, Hannover, Luxembourg, Lyon, Manchester, Marseille, Munich, Nice, Nuremberg, Oslo, Prague, Riga, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Toulouse, Valencia, Washington D.C.

SWISS

Between Zurich and: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Bremen, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Dublin, Geneva, Hamburg, Hannover, Luxembourg, Manchester, Marseille, Munich, Nice, Oslo, Prague, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Valencia.

Austrian Airlines

Between Vienna and: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Bremen, Brussels, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Geneva, Hamburg, Hannover, Lyon, Manchester, Marseille, Munich, Nice, Oslo, Prague, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Valencia.

Both airlines plan to progressively include other destinations in their network to the codeshare arrangements.

Air India and the three Lufthansa Group carriers are members of Star Alliance. Frequent flyers will continue to earn and redeem points/miles on all four airlines, while elite status holders of Air India’s Maharaja Club and Lufthansa Group’s Miles & More programmes will benefit from Star Alliance Gold benefits including priority services, extra baggage allowance, and airport lounge access across the world.

According to Lufthansa Group Chief Commercial Officer, Dieter Vranckx: “We are thrilled to strengthen our partnership with Air India and elevate the travel experience for our joint customers. By further enhancing our cooperation, we will increase the travel options between Europe and India and offer our passengers improved access to additional destinations. Lufthansa Group remains committed to India, and we are excited about the possibilities and potential the country and Air India as a partner have to offer”.

Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India, said: “Our goal is to enable our customers to travel from any corner of the world to another via Air India and its partner airlines. The expansion of our partnership with Lufthansa Group is a step in that direction, and we are pleased to take this long-standing relationship to the next level. With this renewed partnership, our customers will have access to more destinations and greater flexibility to travel across Europe on Lufthansa Group carriers. It also gives us the opportunity to serve Lufthansa Group customers, with warmth and quintessential Indian hospitality, aboard Air India flights. We look forward to continue working closely with our Star Alliance partners in making the world feel like a smaller place.”

Subject to regulatory approvals, the codeshare flights will be progressively made available for sale through the airlines’ respective booking channels.

Entire SWISS Boeing 777 fleet now equipped with CO2-reducing ‘sharkskin’ film

Swiss International Air Lines

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has been steadily providing its Boeing 777-300ER long-haul aircraft fleet with the fuel-saving AeroSHARK technology since the first aircraft so equipped performed the world’s first scheduled AeroSHARK flight in October 2022. The final member of the SWISS Boeing 777 fleet, HB-JNF, received its ‘sharkskin’ film at the beginning of this month, and all 12 aircraft are now in service with the innovative new technology.

The transparent AeroSHARK film is applied to the aircraft’s fuselage and engine nacelles. With its micrometers-deep ‘riblets’ that are aligned to the direction of airflow, the film replicates the hydrodynamic skin of a shark, reducing air resistance in flight by around one per cent. As a result, even with only part of its Boeing 777 fleet equipped with the new technology, AeroSHARK lowered SWISS’s kerosene consumption last year by over 2,200 tonnes, with concomitant reductions of some 7,100 tonnes in the airline’s carbon dioxide emissions.

“We are very pleased with the results that we have achieved with AeroSHARK to date,” says Claus Bauer, SWISS’s Head of Technical Fleet Management. “We’re proud, too, to be the first airline in the world to have equipped an entire aircraft fleet with this innovative technology. Each aircraft takes about a week to have its AeroSHARK film applied, which requires high-precision workmanship from our personnel. I am delighted that our commitment to this technology is delivering such positive results, and is enabling us at SWISS to take a further substantial step in making our flight operations more sustainable.”

Possible extension to further aircraft types

The AeroSHARK aircraft skin technology has been jointly developed by Lufthansa Technik and coatings manufacturer BASF. SWISS is also considering extending its AeroSHARK application programme to further aircraft types in its long-haul fleet in the medium-term future.

Details of how the AeroSHARK film is applied to an aircraft will be found in the SWISS Magazine as well as in the video here.

About Swiss International Air Lines

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is Switzerland’s leading air carrier. With one of Europe’s most advanced aircraft fleets, SWISS is a premium airline that provides direct flights from Zurich and Geneva to keep Switzerland connected with Europe and the world. Its Swiss WorldCargo division offers an extensive range of airport-to-airport airfreight services for high-value, time-critical and care-intensive consignments. SWISS embodies its home country’s traditional values and is dedicated to delivering the highest product and service quality. The company has also set itself ambitious CO2 goals and plans to halve its 2019 net CO2 emissions by 2030 and make its business and operations entirely carbon-neutral by 2050, particularly by promoting the use of sustainable aviation fuels. SWISS is part of the Lufthansa Group, and is also a member of Star Alliance, the world’s biggest airline network.

A First: Direct from Seoul to Switzerland with SWISS

For the first time, Korean passengers can fly directly to the central European country of Switzerland with Swiss International Air Lines. Situated in the heart of Europe, Switzerland is famous for its unique culture, snow peaked mountains and hospitable people. With the launch of LX123 from Soeul, Koreans can now fly directly to Zurich.

With a inning combination of natural beauty and modernity, Zurich offers a unique travel experience to explorers and culture aficionados alike. In addition to leisure travelers, business travelers will benefit from the strong ties between the two countries with South Korea being Switzerland’s fourth-biggest Asian trading partner.

According to Mr. Leandro Tonidandel, General Manager Korea SWISS:

“We are delighted to welcome SWISS to Korea. With 17 weekly flights, Lufthansa Group now operates non-stop services to Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich where we offer Korean passengers direct connections from our hubs to the largest network in Europe. We have connected Korea with Europe for 40 years and the introduction of flights with the national airline of Switzerland represents our commitment to this important market.”

Last year Korea and Switzerland celebrated 60 years of bilateral relations. Today we witnessed the first direct flight between these two nations. With various exchanges in the realms of education, economics and culture, the first direct connection between Switzerland and Korea aims to further strengthen ties between these two nations.

Swiss International Air Lines launches direct services from Seoul to Zurich

Zurich, Switzerland

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) will be further expanding its services in the 2024 summer schedule with the addition of Seoul to its long-haul network in Asia. Alongside the already announced new intercontinental destinations of Washington, DC and Toronto, Canada in the West, SWISS will also be enlarging its long-haul network in the East by connecting the South Korean capital of Seoul with Zurich, Switzerland.

Seoul, the capital of South Korea, will receive its first-ever SWISS services in summer 2024. This metropolis offers a perfect blend of traditional charm and contemporary flair and delights visitors with sights like the Gyeongbokgung Palace and futuristic landmarks such as the N Seoul Tower. Similarly, Switzerland offers a mix of natural beauty and modernity with its majestic Alpine landscapes, including the Matterhorn and Jungfrau peaks, as well as the vibrant economic and cultural centre of Zurich.

“We are delighted to be further growing our network,” says SWISS Chief Commercial Officer Heike Birlenbach. “As well as our new long-haul destinations of Washington, DC and Toronto, which we’ve already announced, we’ll be adding the extremely attractive destination of Seoul to our Asian network in summer 2024. The capital of South Korea has a lot to offer leisure and business travellers alike. And our new Seoul service will help us even better meet our customers’ needs for non-stop services to and from the world’s key cities.”

According to Leo Tonidandel, General Manager Korea, Lufthansa Group Airlines: “We are excited to launch Seoul as the first new destination in Asia for SWISS in 2024. As a premium carrier, SWISS will offer four cabins including First Class and Premium Economy Class and provide Korean passengers with more choices when traveling to Europe with direct flights from Seoul/Incheon to Zurich and beyond with connections in Zurich. In addition, SWISS, as a member of Lufthansa Group Airlines, Korean customers enjoy combined services with Lufthansa, the same mileage program and various benefits.”.

SWISS will commence its thrice-weekly non-stop service between Zurich and Seoul on 7 May 2024. The flights will be operated with Airbus A340 equipped with First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class. The eastbound flight LX122 will leave Zurich at 13:40 on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, landing in Seoul at 08:25 the following day The westbound LX123 service will depart from Seoul on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 09:55, arriving in Zurich at 16:50.
*Media Relations, Lufthansa Group at lufthansa-group@dlh.de