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The rise and fall of Swissair, 1931–2002
Journal article

The rise and fall of Swissair, 1931–2002

  • 2016-12-21
Published in:
  • The Journal of Transport History. - SAGE Publications. - 2016, vol. 38, no. 1, p. 88-105
English Swissair was a surprisingly successful international airline for most of its existence. Despite its home being a small country, Switzerland, the company was able to seize various special opportunities, including being able to choose its aircraft free from political influence, being forced into international cooperation by its government, getting landing rights relatively easily, and being particularly attractive to first-class passengers. Currency issues played an important role in Swissair’s history: the airline needed to be saved by the taxpayer after the devaluation of the British Pound in 1949, and suffered heavily from the collapse of the Bretton Woods Monetary System in 1971. The demise of the airline after 1990 can be explained partly by a change in the market environment and partly by Swissair’s inability to reform and adapt. This paper provides archival evidence for Swissair’s rise and fall.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/74050
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