SWISS removes final Avro RJ100 from flight operations after over 15 years

Swiss International Air Lines removed the final Avro RJ100 from flight operations on August 15, after over 15 years as part of its fleet. The last of a total of 21 aircraft took off from Geneva this morning and made its last official landing at Zurich airport. Immediately after landing in Zurich, the aircraft registered under HB-IYZ received the traditional water fountain salute by the airport fire brigade before being officially taken out of service to loud applause from a crowd of employees and aviation fans. The Avro RJ100 and its smaller version, the Avro RJ85, formed the backbone of the SWISS European fleet since the company was founded in 2002. The Avro fleet has completed over 700,000 hours in the air. During that time SWISS made over half a million flights with this British Aerospace (BAe) aircraft. With their record for excellent maintenance quality, these former SWISS aircraft remain in high demand despite their age, and will go into service with other airlines.