Quick Fix In Zurich: Edelweiss A340 Returns To Service Days After Bird Strike
Bird Strike On Approach To Zurich
An Edelweiss Airbus A340-300 suffered a bird strike during landing at Zurich Airport (ZRH) on December 1, 2025, but was swiftly repaired and returned to service just days later.
The 22-year-old quadjet, registered HB-JMC, was operating flight WK38 from Liberia Guanacaste International Airport (LIR) in Costa Rica to Zurich when the incident occurred. According to a report by The Aviation Herald, the aircraft touched down and taxied to the gate without any apparent issues, and passengers disembarked normally.
It was only during a post-flight maintenance inspection that engineers discovered damage to the blades of the aircraft’s number four engine, located on the outer right wing. The damage was consistent with a bird ingestion on landing.
Quick Turnaround After Engine Blade Damage
Following the discovery, HB-JMC was temporarily withdrawn from service so that technicians could assess and repair the affected CFM International CFM56 engine.
The aircraft remained on the ground for roughly a day before being cleared to re-enter revenue service. According to Flightradar24 tracking, the A340 was back in the air on December 3, 2025, operating a long-haul flight from Zurich to Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in South Africa.
Per data from ch-aviation, HB-JMC was originally delivered new to Swiss in 2002 and has been flying for Edelweiss since April 2023. The aircraft is configured with 300 seats in a two-class layout, featuring 29 business class and 271 economy class seats. As of September 30, 2025, the airframe had accumulated 108,773 flight hours and 12,443 flight cycles, underlining its long service history.
Airbus A340-300: A Quadjet Nearing Retirement
Once a staple of long-haul flying, the Airbus A340-300 has become an increasingly rare sight in commercial service. Rising fuel costs and the superior efficiency of modern twin-engine widebodies have pushed most operators to phase out their four-engined fleets.
According to ch-aviation data, only 37 A340-300s remain in active commercial service worldwide across 12 operators. The largest operator is Lufthansa, with 13 examples still flying. Other active operators include:
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Mahan Air – 6 aircraft
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Edelweiss – 4 aircraft
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Swiss – 4 aircraft
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South African Airways – 2 aircraft
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Kam Air – 2 aircraft
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AirX Charter, Eswatini Air, Hi Fly Malta, Meraj Air, Qatar Amiri Flight, USC – 1 aircraft each
Both Swiss and Edelweiss are gradually phasing out their A340-300 fleets in favor of newer-generation widebodies. In October 2025, Edelweiss ferried the first of its five A340-300s to Teruel Airport in Spain, a well-known long-term storage and retirement location, marking the beginning of the end for the type within the leisure carrier’s fleet.
Current plans call for all A340s at both Edelweiss and Swiss to be retired by mid-2027.
Edelweiss Bets On The Airbus A350
As part of a broader fleet modernization strategy, Edelweiss is replacing its A340-300s with the Airbus A350-900. The airline welcomed its first A350-900 in March 2025 and now operates four of the type, with two more on order and scheduled to join the fleet by the end of 2026.
Beyond improved economics and lower emissions, the A350s also bring a noticeable capacity boost. According to aeroLOPA, Edelweiss’ A350-900s can accommodate 339 passengers in a two-class layout:
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30 lie-flat business class seats in a 2–2–2 configuration
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309 economy seats in a 3–3–3 configuration, of which 63 are sold as ‘Economy Max’ with extra legroom
Compared to the A340-300, the A350 offers better fuel burn, reduced maintenance costs, and a more modern onboard product—key advantages for a leisure-focused airline flying long-haul routes from Switzerland to popular holiday destinations.
Bottom Line
An Edelweiss Airbus A340-300 operating from Liberia to Zurich ingested birds into its number four engine on landing on December 1, 2025, damaging the engine blades. After a short grounding and prompt repairs, the 22-year-old quadjet was back in revenue service by December 3, flying to Cape Town.
While the quick turnaround highlights Edelweiss’ strong maintenance response, the incident comes as the airline steadily retires its aging A340-300s in favor of more efficient Airbus A350-900s, which will form the backbone of its long-haul fleet by the end of the decade.
