Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) achieved an operating profit (Adjusted EBIT) of 421.4 million Swiss Francs in the first nine months of 2026 (Q1–3 2025: 411.2 million Swiss Francs), approximately matching the previous year's level. Operating revenue totalled 4.38 billion Swiss Francs (Q1–3 2025: 4.17 billion Swiss Francs), exceeding the previous year's figure by 5.3 percent.
Dennis Weber, CFO of SWISS, explains the development: "We achieved a solid result in the first nine months. Despite challenging conditions, we have made progress towards our previous level of profitability. The limited progress, despite high demand and stringent cost-saving measures, highlights the heavy impact of rising fuel costs on our profitability."
Demand for air travel remained high during the third quarter. Average yields developed positively, particularly on long-haul routes and in premium classes.
Weber states: "The additional revenue roughly matched the increased expenditure on fuel. Although we were largely able to offset the higher fuel costs, we could hardly improve our result. It is therefore crucial to continue reducing costs in areas where we have control. The savings and efficiency measures we initiated early are increasingly taking effect and prevented a decline in results. However, these alone are not enough for a sustainable improvement in our profitability."
The freight business developed particularly positively over the course of the year. SWISS WorldCargo benefited mainly from strong demand on routes to and from Asia and achieved higher-than-expected contributions. "This development underscores the importance of the freight business as a complementary revenue source in a challenging market environment," explains Weber.
In the first nine months of 2026, SWISS carried approximately 13.7 million passengers, a decline of 0.7 percent compared to the previous year. The number of flights conducted fell by 3.0 percent to around 106,500. Available seat kilometres (ASK) decreased by 0.5 percent, while revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) were 0.1 percent below the previous year's value. The seat load factor (SLF) improved by 0.4 percentage points.
The figures demonstrate that SWISS was largely able to maintain its offering despite ongoing resource constraints, particularly in pilots and engine availability in the short-haul fleet. Demand remained robust, and the aircraft were more efficiently utilised on average than in the previous year.
In flight operations, the picture is mixed. Departure punctuality improved to 69.0 percent in the first nine months, an increase of 0.8 percentage points compared to the previous year. In contrast, operational stability was 96.9 percent, 0.9 percentage points below last year's figure. The summer months posed significant operational challenges for SWISS, for example, due to extreme weather events.
For the fourth quarter, SWISS expects even stronger financial burdens than in the third quarter due to further rising kerosene prices, which are now nearing the peak levels at the time of the Iran War outbreak. Thus, kerosene is currently twice as expensive as at the beginning of the year. The high prices are expected to burden SWISS in the last quarter and the coming year as well. Therefore, it is crucial to continue reducing costs and improving processes across the entire company. In this way, SWISS lays the foundation for economic success in the future.
Jens Fehlinger, CEO of SWISS, states: "Demand remains high, our aircraft are well booked. However, to be successful in the long term, we cannot rely on this. Rising costs in fuel, maintenance, and personnel continue to pose challenges for us. Therefore, 2026 remains a transitional year for us to set important courses and continue to grow and invest: in our guests, our employees, and our fleet."