Swiss International Air Lines yesterday welcomed the Chief Executives of the Star Alliance member airlines to Zurich for their annual summer meeting. The delegation arrived on an exclusive flight operated by the new Bombardier CS100 aircraft branded in the livery of its launch customer SWISS.
The airline is hosting the Alliance’s Chief Executive Board Meeting as part of its celebrations to mark 10 years since it joined Star Alliance in April 2006.
“We are very pleased to be welcoming our fellow Chief Executive Board members to Zurich in this special year – having flown on a very special aircraft – the Bombardier C Series – for which SWISS is the launch customer, said Thomas Klühr, CEO SWISS. “Today we announce that we will convert five of our CS100 orders – numbers 21 to 25 – into CS300s. We will decide at a later stage whether we will make additional conversions”, Klühr added.
The flight to Zurich was the first ever passenger flight with the new Bombardier C Series. SWISS will take delivery of the first Bombardier CS100 this month and the aircraft is will enter service in mid-July this year. The special flight brought the Alliance’s top executives from Dublin, Ireland, where they were gathered for IATA’s Annual General Meeting and where the aircraft could be seen on static display.
“Along with our friends at Star Alliance we were able to offer their member airlines a unique opportunity to aboard the CS100 aircraft from Dublin to Zurich,” said Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “As we approach first delivery and entry-into-service with launch operator SWISS, it was our pleasure to offer this chance to experience first-hand the C Series aircraft’s cabin with its widest aisle, widest seats and largest bins.”
The Star Alliance Chief Executive Board is the 28-member airline group`s top strategic and decision-making body. It typically meets twice per year, once in summer and a second tome close to the year-end. Meetings may be hosted by a member airline or be held in other strategically important locations.