An Austrian Airlines jet transported SWISS passengers from Astana, taking off at 09:35h and headed for Vienna with 331 individuals onboard, including 18 SWISS crew members. The flight is slated to reach Vienna by 14:10h. To expedite the passengers journey to Zurich, SWISS has positioned a Boeing 777-300ER in Vienna, preparing for a prompt departure with an anticipated arrival time at Zurich Airport around 17:00h.

On the ground in Astana, the SWISS commander updated passengers about the onward travel plans, ensuring a return trip via Austrian Airlines and arranging accommodations and transfers. In response to the disruption, SWISS established a dedicated task force involving key departments to tackle the operational challenges, particularly the setup of ground services in Astana a city not typically on SWISS route map, causing a four-hour delay in procedures.

SWISS COO Oliver Buchhofer extended apologies for the inconvenience and expressed gratitude towards passengers for their patience and to the staff for
their diligent efforts under these exceptional circumstances.

Technical experts from SWISS have also reached Astana to inspect the aircraft, working in coordination with Boeing and relevant authorities. Subject to inspection approvals, a fresh SWISS crew will relocate the aircraft to Zurich.

The deployment of the Boeing 777 to Vienna has necessitated the cancellation of today SWISS flight to Los Angeles and delays to other flights including Bangkok and Sao Paulo, with the latter rescheduled from Monday evening to Tuesday morning. Despite these adjustments, SWISS remains committed to deploying all resources to mitigate the impact on its flight schedule and ensure passenger convenience.

Source: Tourism Africa