Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has brought SWISS Senses, its new long-haul travel experience, to South Africa. Since 25 October 2026, the airline’s Airbus A350-900 featuring the new SWISS Senses cabin has operated SWISS’s daily flight between Johannesburg and Zurich, replacing the Airbus A340-300 on the route, the airline said.

With 242 seats on every flight, the new A350 gives travellers 3,388 seats per week between South Africa and Switzerland. Return fares from Johannesburg to Zurich start from ZAR 12,500, and fares across all travel classes remain unchanged, though a supplementary charge will apply to selected Business Class seats offering enhanced comfort and privacy. Compared with the Airbus A340, the A350 also provides approximately 12% greater seat capacity.

Johannesburg joins Boston, Seoul and Shanghai as one of the first destinations to receive the new cabin, which SWISS has introduced on its A350 fleet; the product will gradually be rolled out to SWISS’s wider long-haul fleet, with the first A330 currently being retrofitted in Hong Kong.

“South Africa is a very important market for SWISS and the Lufthansa Group, and we are proud that Johannesburg is among the very first destinations to receive SWISS Senses,” said Rene Koinzack, Senior Director Sales North, East & Southern Africa, Lufthansa Group. “South African travellers know long-haul flying well, and they expect comfort, privacy and genuine care on an overnight flight. SWISS Senses delivers that in every class, from a larger personal screen in Economy Class to a private suite in First Class. Bringing the A350 to Johannesburg shows our commitment to this market and to offering our guests the best of Swiss hospitality from the moment they step on board.”

A REDESIGNED CABIN ACROSS ALL FOUR CLASSES

The SWISS Airbus A350-900 seats 242 guests: three in SWISS First, 45 in SWISS Business, 38 in SWISS Premium Economy and 156 in SWISS Economy, with a cabin palette of anthracite, beige and bordeaux, premium materials and next-generation inflight entertainment with Bluetooth connectivity throughout. SWISS First introduces fully enclosed private suites with 1.8-metre walls for the first time, including a Single Suite with a 200cm bed and 32-inch 4K OLED screen and a Suite Plus for two with a 200cm double bed and 43-inch screen, both with seat heating and cooling, a personal wardrobe and a wooden dining table.

Every SWISS Business seat has direct aisle access and a fully flat bed of at least two metres with seat heating and cooling, with a choice of five seat types including a Privacy Seat by the window, an Extra Long Bed Seat, an Extra Space Seat and a new Business Suite with closable doors and a 24-inch screen. SWISS Premium Economy offers a hardshell seat with 99cm pitch, a privacy divider, a 15.6-inch 4K OLED screen and wireless charging, while SWISS Economy offers up to 99cm of pitch, a six-way adjustable headrest, USB-A and USB-C charging and a 13.3-inch 4K OLED screen.

The twin-engined Airbus A350-900 replaces the four-engined A340-300 on the Johannesburg route and offers around 25% less fuel consumption and CO2 emissions and a 50% smaller noise footprint compared with previous-generation aircraft, with a lightweight airframe built from more than 50% advanced composite materials. SWISS plans to operate ten A350-900s by the beginning of 2030.

Note: Through its interline agreements with South African Airways and Airlink, SWISS says travellers can combine a feeder flight to Johannesburg with their long-haul flight to Europe in a single booking, with baggage checked through to the final destination. From Zurich, SWISS and its Lufthansa Group partners connect travellers to Geneva, Munich, Paris, London, Brussels and Frankfurt.