ZURICH, Switzerland — October 30, 2025 — SWISS International Air Lines announced the immediate suspension of all flights with its nine Airbus A220-100 aircraft, after facing persistent issues with the Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines.
The planes will stop flying and will serve as “engine donors” to keep the larger A220-300 models in operation, which are currently considered more strategic for the airline. According to the company, the PW1524G and PW1524G-3 engines installed on the two aircraft versions are virtually identical, allowing direct transfer from one model to the other.
“The Airbus A220 engines are showing early signs of wear, requiring full overhauls and long maintenance periods. In light of this, we decided to take a radical step: temporarily suspend the operation of all A220-100 aircraft,” said Dennis Weber, SWISS Chief Financial Officer, at a press conference on Thursday.
Weber highlighted that maintenance difficulties are expected to last at least 18 months, during which the airline will prioritize operational reliability for its main fleet.
From pioneer to restructured
SWISS was the first airline in the world to operate the model, then known as the Bombardier CSeries, in 2016. The A220-100 became a symbol of the airline’s fleet modernization, especially on short and challenging routes, such as flights to London City Airport, known for its steep approach.
These routes will now be operated by Helvetic Airways, which flies the Embraer E2, an aircraft certified for the British airport.
The Pratt & Whitney engine crisis
The PW1500G engines, developed by Pratt & Whitney, face a series of technical issues that have affected multiple airlines worldwide. It is estimated that about a quarter of A220 and E2 aircraft equipped with this engine family are grounded for unscheduled maintenance.
For SWISS, the decision to cannibalize the A220-100 aims to reduce the impact of these groundings on the network, ensuring the availability of the A220-300, which have greater capacity and range.
Despite the suspension, the airline stated that it will not sell the aircraft and that they will remain in technical reserve, potentially returning to service in the future if engine and parts availability normalizes.
Source and images: SWISS | Wikimedia. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
