[Note: I caught-up a bit with the FS2020 forums/news, and it does seem like some exciting things are on the way! We'll see. Anyway, around here, it seems a bit quiet...and, I've been thinking of a post on "Swiss" for a while, so here we go, with what I've so far....]

The Swissair (airline and livery) has always caught my fancy since my earliest days of SIM...and, in our SIM, there is no shortage of Swiss Airline planes and repaints (FW & PW)...exemplifying its popularity. And, of course, the airline has a rich history, of its own, on par with some of the the oldest operating and most prominent European Airlines. Swissair's two genetic constituents were established nearly a century ago: Ad Astra Aero (1919) and Balair (1925). Its formalization, however, had occurred on 26 March 1931. Regarding its earliest transport planes: In the 1930s, Fokker F.VIIb (similar as shown below in the image), also known as the Fokker Trimotor, was being piloted by the famous Swiss aviation pioneer (and one of the founding fathers of Swissair) Walter Mittelholzer (Side Note: F.VIIb was inspired by its look-alike Ford Trimotor. A shot of Ford Trimotor is in my earlier post on the FW aircraft sample). And, on April 17, 1932, Swissair bought two Lockheed Orions for its "Express" Route (Zurich-Munich-Vienna), making the airline the second European airline to use American planes (Czech CSA was the first with purchase of Ford Trimotor). The Orion was the "fastest" commercial airplane of its time - those were the days! Please see a screenshot of the Swissair Orion below.

Unfortunately, the "original" Swissair is no longer a "currently-operating" entity. Due to several complex factors, it folded its wings in 2002, after 71 years of continued operation (reasons are many, but, the tragic event of Flight 111 is often mentioned as one of the terminal contributors). However, the new "Swiss International Air Lines" (called just "SWISS"), founded 31 March 2002 (same date as the ceasing of Swissair), and built around Swissair's regional subsidiary, Crossair, continues to fly today (as a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group).

Now, consider e.g. this small sample of impressive facts:

1. Swissair had demonstrated remarkable growth in the half-century from 1950-2000 (traffic growth by a factor of 230!).
2. By 1970s, the airline came to be called "The flying bank" due to the solid financial strength it had amassed.
3. Swissair's association with (and contributions to) the Douglas aircraft range (DC/MD) is remarkable (it operated almost all Douglas aircraft from DC-2 all the way to MD-11).
4. For the first time in Europe, Swissair had employed flight attendants aboard its Curtiss Condor. In 1934, Nelly Diener, the first flight attendant of Europe, became world-famous as "Angel of the Skies".
5. Swissair had placed the 1st order for the B747-300, which variant introduced the "iconic" B747 hump (stretched upper-deck) that would next go on (unchanged) to the B747-400 as that plane's most distinguishing mark.
6. Swissair was the launch customer for MD-80 and the MD-11. It was the driving force behind the creation of the MD-80 (the (longest) DC-9-80 (that we've come to love in the SIM!), and was the first airline to fly the "Mad Dog" on October 10, 1980. Please see an (interesting) repaint in the screenshot, below, of the MD-80 in Crossair (Swissair) McPlane special livery. This livery symbolizes the transition between Swissair and SWISS. Notice the characteristic Swiss "+" under the McDonald's arch (in the tail). (Side Note: A month ago, nearly 40 years later, on September 4, 2019, American flew its last MD-80).

Swissair was thus considered more than an airline; it was the national icon of the Swiss, that over 70 years, had built a worldwide reputation of exemplary service and loyalty.

So, please find below (SIM) images of 15 representative aircraft from "Swissair/SWISS" - taken around the Swiss Alps region. The images are meant to show the chronological sequence as the planes were (first) introduced into operation. Thanks for reading and viewing, and hope you enjoy. Contributory comments are always welcome. [Various(PW/FW Aircraft),MSE,REX]

[Fokker FVIIb, Lockheed Orion, Douglas DC-3, DH Mosquito, Convair 240, Sud Caravelle, Convair 990, BAC 1-11, DC-8, DC-10, MD-80, MD-11, A319, B747, A340]

Swissair certainly had a great history, many thanks for this article and the pics, P_7878. I didn't know about the Mosquito, also the paint scheme on the 744 I had never seen before 😊 

Bernd: Many thanks you for the comments.

WOW....Some incredible Aircraft here.

Great collection over swiss scenery, as I also love Switzerland... venerable planes like the DC-3 or the Caravelle in some attractive but some curious liveries, too. Never thought that Swissair ever had worn a "golden gull" livery. And as Bernd said, the 747 scheme was complete new for me. Kind of harlekinesque... But I love the DC-3 livery which seems to be a variety of the neutrality scheme from WWII times.