Edelweiss Air
Encyclopedia
Edelweiss Air AG
is a charter airline with its head office in the Edwelweiss Air Operations Center (OPC) on the property of Zurich Airport and in Kloten
, Switzerland
, operating mainly out of Zurich Airport, with a smaller base at Geneva International Airport. The company's name derives from the Swiss unofficial national flower, the Edelweiss
, which is also painted on the airplanes.
, Switzerland
, with just one aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83. The fleet was subsequently expanded and renewed. In 1998, new Airbus A320
aircraft were introduced to replace the MD-83s, and in 1999 long-haul flights were commenced using the Airbus A330-200. AS of March 2011, Edelweiss Air added the larger Airbus A330-300 to its fleet, with an order having been filed on 5 April 2010.
Until November 2008, Edelweiss Air was wholly owned by Kuoni Travel Ltd
and had 190 employees, when the operating rights were sold to Swiss International Air Lines
, in exchange for sale rights of hotel capacities via the Swiss sales network. As Swiss International Airlines have since been acquired by Lufthansa
, Edelweiss Air also has become a subsidiary of the largest German airline, though it is managed independently.
Aktiengesellschaft
Aktiengesellschaft is a German term that refers to a corporation that is limited by shares, i.e. owned by shareholders, and may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland...
is a charter airline with its head office in the Edwelweiss Air Operations Center (OPC) on the property of Zurich Airport and in Kloten
Kloten
-External links:* -References:...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, operating mainly out of Zurich Airport, with a smaller base at Geneva International Airport. The company's name derives from the Swiss unofficial national flower, the Edelweiss
Edelweiss
Edelweiss , Leontopodium alpinum, is a well-known European mountain flower, belonging to the sunflower family.-Names:The common name comes from German edel, meaning "noble", and weiß "white", thus signifying "noble whiteness".The scientific name Leontopodium is a Latin adaptation of Greek...
, which is also painted on the airplanes.
History
The airline was founded on 19 October 1995 in BassersdorfBassersdorf
Bassersdorf is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Zurich, located in the district of Bülach, and belongs to the Glatt Valley .- History :...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, with just one aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83. The fleet was subsequently expanded and renewed. In 1998, new Airbus A320
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
aircraft were introduced to replace the MD-83s, and in 1999 long-haul flights were commenced using the Airbus A330-200. AS of March 2011, Edelweiss Air added the larger Airbus A330-300 to its fleet, with an order having been filed on 5 April 2010.
Until November 2008, Edelweiss Air was wholly owned by Kuoni Travel Ltd
Kuoni Travel
The Kuoni Travel is a tourism company. It was founded in 1906 by the entrepreneur Alfred Kuoni in Zurich, Switzerland where it is based. In 2010, the Kuoni Group was named “World’s Leading Tour Operator” at the annual World Travel Awards for eleven years in a row.- History :Kuoni was founded in...
and had 190 employees, when the operating rights were sold to Swiss International Air Lines
Swiss International Air Lines
Swiss International Air Lines AG is the principal airline of Switzerland operating scheduled services in Europe and to North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Its main hub is Zurich Airport...
, in exchange for sale rights of hotel capacities via the Swiss sales network. As Swiss International Airlines have since been acquired by Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
, Edelweiss Air also has become a subsidiary of the largest German airline, though it is managed independently.
Awards
For 9 consecutive years between 2001 and 2008, Edelweiss Air received the golden Travelstar Award for its excellent achievements.Fleet
As of October 2010, the Edelweiss Air fleet consists of the following aircraft with an average age of 11.3 years:| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 150 168 |
150 168 |
Leased from aircrafts owner Swiss International Airlines 1 to be delivered in spring 2012. |
| Airbus A330-200 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 255 | 285 | Leased from aircraft owner Swiss International Airlines |
| Airbus A330-300 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 296 | 332 | Leased from aircraft owner Swiss International Airlines |
| Total | 5 | 1 | ||||