SWISS has removed Dubai from its schedule for the remainder of the northern winter while restoring a second daily flight between Zurich (ZRH) and Delhi (DEL), shifting long-haul capacity toward a market where the airline has reported strong demand.
The carrier will keep its Zurich–Dubai (DXB) service suspended through March 27, 2027, the final day of the 2026-27 winter timetable. Flights had most recently been scheduled to return November 25, following an earlier postponement from late October.
At the same time, SWISS will reinstate its additional Delhi rotation on December 2 and operate it through March 27. The airline said the second daily service will be flown predominantly with an Airbus A340-300.
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SWISS disclosed both changes in its latest Middle East operations update, attributing the Dubai decision to operational considerations taken in coordination with Lufthansa Group. Passengers affected by the cancellations are being notified and rebooked on alternative services.
Dubai Return Pushed Beyond the Winter Timetable
SWISS had planned to restore daily Dubai flights as LX242 and LX243 during the winter, primarily with the Airbus A340-300. The first services were scheduled for October 27 before the return was delayed to November 25 amid continued volatility in the region.
The November 11 revision takes Zurich–Dubai out of the schedule through the end of winter rather than assigning another interim restart date. A summer 2027 resumption has not yet been announced.
The change forms part of a broader Lufthansa Group adjustment. According to the group’s revised Dubai plan, Lufthansa will also keep Frankfurt (FRA)–Dubai suspended through March 27, as will Austrian Airlines from Vienna (VIE).
The group will retain a smaller Dubai operation beginning November 25. Lufthansa plans five weekly flights from Munich (MUC), while Eurowings intends to restore daily service from Berlin (BER). That leaves two Lufthansa Group gateways serving DXB during the winter, rather than the broader operation previously planned from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
For SWISS, the latest decision extends a suspension that has been repeatedly prolonged since March 2026. The airline initially cited heightened regional tensions and airspace disruption. Later extensions were described in operational terms as SWISS and Lufthansa Group reviewed aircraft availability, crew planning, airport access and the stability required to rebuild the schedule.
Delhi Returns to Twice-Daily Service
The additional Delhi flight restores a pattern SWISS used for much of the 2026 summer season. The airline introduced extra flights in March, expanded to a full second daily rotation in April and May, and then extended the operation through October 24.
During the summer, SWISS operated the extra Delhi service with an Airbus A330-300. It said demand for nonstop travel between India and Europe had strengthened as some passengers moved away from itineraries connecting through Gulf hubs. SWISS also explicitly linked the extra India capacity to aircraft made available by the Dubai suspension.
The winter version will predominantly use the Airbus A340-300, giving the added rotation a smaller but more premium-heavy cabin than the airline’s current A330 configuration. SWISS lists its A340-300 with 215 seats: eight in First, 42 in Business, 21 in Premium Economy and 144 in Economy.
A daily A340 rotation therefore adds as many as 1,505 seats in each direction per week. It also places Premium Economy on the additional Delhi flight, a cabin that is not included in the 236-seat layout SWISS currently publishes for its Airbus A330-300.
The four-engine A340 has a listed range of 10,500 kilometers and remains a useful part of SWISS’s long-haul scheduling despite the carrier’s transition toward the Airbus A350-900. SWISS currently lists four A340-300s in its fleet. The type is also the airline’s last four-engine passenger aircraft, and SWISS has begun planning for the eventual preservation of one example after the fleet leaves service.
India Takes a Larger Role in the Zurich Network
The Delhi increase comes as SWISS expands its broader Indian operation. Bengaluru (BLR) joined the network on October 27 with five weekly flights, becoming the airline’s third Indian destination after Delhi and Mumbai (BOM). SWISS described the launch as a targeted investment in its long-haul network and in business demand between Switzerland and India’s technology sector.
The carrier is also upgrading Mumbai. From December 15, SWISS plans to deploy the Airbus A350-900 daily through January 3 and on six days each week thereafter, while maintaining daily service overall. The Mumbai aircraft change will introduce the new SWISS Senses cabin to India for the first time.
With Delhi increasing to 14 weekly flights, Mumbai remaining daily and Bengaluru operating five times weekly, SWISS is set to offer 26 weekly departures from Zurich to India during most of the winter period. Delhi alone will account for more than half of that frequency.
The paired Dubai and Delhi changes also continue a capacity-management approach SWISS used throughout 2026: rather than leaving long-haul aircraft idle when a suspended route cannot operate, the airline is placing selected capacity into markets that can support additional service. Delhi has now absorbed that capacity in both the summer and winter schedules.
Bottom Line
The decision gives SWISS more schedule certainty than another short Dubai postponement would have provided. Removing the route through March 27 allows the airline to plan aircraft and crews across the full winter season, while Lufthansa Group concentrates its reduced Dubai operation at Munich and Berlin. Travelers from Switzerland retain one-stop options, but Zurich loses its nonstop link to one of the group’s largest Gulf markets for at least the rest of the timetable.
Delhi is the clear beneficiary. A second daily flight improves connection choice across the Zurich bank structure and provides additional premium capacity at a time when SWISS is broadening its Indian network. The use of the A340-300 is also notable: an aircraft approaching the final phase of its SWISS career is being assigned to a high-demand market where its four-cabin configuration remains commercially useful.
The next point to watch is the summer 2027 schedule beginning March 28. SWISS has stopped short of committing to a Dubai return on that date, while its expanded India operation is increasingly supported by both higher frequency and new-generation A350 capacity. Whether Delhi remains twice daily beyond winter will show if the extra flight has developed into a structural network addition rather than another temporary redeployment.
