Swiss to seek cuts in pilot numbers
By Haig Simonian in Zurich
Published: July 6 2004 5:00 | Last Updated: July 6 2004 5:00

Swiss International Air Lines will open negotiations shortly with its unions in an attempt to tackle its oversupply of pilots.


This new problem for the cash-strapped carrier follows its decision to outsource routes to smaller operators and further postpone new aircraft deliveries, leaving Swiss with about 50 pilots too many for regional services - or about 12 per cent of the total. The airline last month warned it would not break even as expected this year. It faces a second challenge with its powerful pilots' unions because of an excess of captains in the regional network.

The imbalance stems from previous restructuring plans, when union seniority rules required the dismissal of a relatively high number of junior pilots. As a result, the airline now has about 70 captains too many in its regional fleet.

Swiss said the airline had told the unions it would respect agreements not to impose redundancies.

The pilot surplus follows last month's unpublicised further delay to the delivery of 30 Embraer aircraft. This followed a previous postponement last November, when Swiss requested deliveries of the first four, due between August and December this year, be delayed.

The new postponement came after last month's decision to end talks on joining the British Airways-led Oneworld alliance.

Swiss was built from the ashes of Swissair, which collapsed in late 2001, and Crossair, the Swiss regional carrier. But its twin origins have left it a difficult legacy, with two pilots' unions representing members from the two founder companies.

Under a complex deal last summer, Swiss bowed to shortcomings in its over-ambitious initial business plan with sharp cutbacks, particularly on regional services inherited primarily from Crossair.

As a sop to that airline's pilots, represented by the Swiss Pilots union, management agreed to balance any future job losses with identical cuts among former Swissair pilots, represented by the Aeropers union.

If Swiss fails to reach a negotiated settlement on its regional pilots' surplus, it might have to dismiss pilots from both unions - only to have to recruit or train new ones for the long-haul routes flown by Aeropers members.

Swiss Pilots yesterday rejected any changes affecting its members. Aeropers declined to comment.

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