Swiss International Air Lines has brought the last of 25 aircraft grounded during the Covid pandemic back into commercial service today.
The 1997-built Airbus A320, one of the oldest aircraft in its fleet, re-entered service today on a flight from Zurich to Berlin after three years in storage parked in the desert.
It was one of 25 aircraft Swiss parked in Amman, Jordan in April 2020 when the pandemic hit.
Swiss says the aircraft were subjected to regular inspections of their installed equipment during that period, while further work included regular flushing of the hydraulic systems and engine function checks. ”Jordan’s hot and arid climate is especially conducive to the long-term storage of aircraft, as the low humidity provides optimum protection against any rusting of their metal components,” the airline notes.
Swiss head of technical fleet management, Claus Bauer, says: “We are delighted to welcome the last of our Jordan-stored aircraft back to our flight operations and return our working fleet to full size. Our specialists have made huge efforts over the last few months to ensure that every one of our stored aircraft was brought back to Zurich in faultless technical condition.”
