If you want to fly at the top with the Lufthansa subsidiary, you have to know German. But airline boss Jens Fehlinger does not believe this rule is set in stone.
December 3, 2025, 9:30 a.mDecember 3, 2025, 9:30 a.m
Benjamin Weinmann / ch media
Swiss is still the most profitable airline in the Lufthansa Group. But the Swiss airline is threatened with a slightly less comfortable landing than in previous financial years, which were characterized by record results. 2025 will be different: “Our results fell short of our expectations,” said Swiss boss Jens Fehlinger in a recent interview with CH Media.
In the Swiss Cockpit, employees must speak German. Level B2 is required. image: keystone
One reason why there will be no record sales or top profits is the situation in the cockpit. Because the Lufthansa subsidiary is lacking pilots. So much so that in the spring it was forced to cancel 1,400 flights the following summer.
In March, an insider spoke to CH Media and drew attention to the unequal treatment of Romands and German-speaking Swiss at Swiss. Anyone who wants to apply to Swiss and its sister airline Edelweiss must be able to speak German. This means that a large proportion of Swiss people have a disadvantage when it comes to applying to the two largest domestic airlines in a multilingual country, according to the insider. Because a German-speaking Swiss or a German only has to learn one foreign language, namely English. “A Romand or Ticino native, on the other hand, must be able to speak two foreign languages, English and German.”
Larger pool of candidates
A Swiss spokeswoman said at the time about a possible relaxation: “We currently consider the German requirement to be mandatory.” The aim is to prevent misunderstandings or ambiguities in communication between people in the cockpit. This regulation will be reviewed “regularly at longer intervals”.
Jens Fehlinger has been head of the Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss for just over a year. image: keystone
The fact is that the pool of candidates for pilots would increase if the rule were relaxed. In fact, Swiss boss Fehlinger is now more open to the topic. “I think that we should critically examine the requirement to speak German in the coming years,” the 44-year-old told CH Media.
There are already the first European airlines that are taking the lead and only requiring English. After all, this is the globally recognized aviation language. At the same time, Fehlinger is aware that he is moving on black ice. “This topic requires a lot of sensitivity. We would of course discuss this with our social partners in advance.”
No euphoria among the cockpit crew
The Aeropers pilots’ association recently expressed a rather negative attitude: “When it comes to communicating efficiently and understandably, especially in emergencies, it is very helpful if the crew can solve problems with each other in their native language,” said association spokesman Thomas Steffen. With regard to the personnel situation, Aeropers does not see the language rule as the first starting point. Competitive working conditions are more important. And these would be more difficult to negotiate with a larger group of candidates.
Today, around two thirds of all Swiss pilots have a Swiss passport. Almost 30 percent come from Germany. The proportion of German pilots has increased massively over the past twelve years. In 2013 they only came to 11 percent. In 2007 their share was only 1 percent.
Relaxation for cabin crew
At the end of October, Luxair caused a stir in the domestic market. The Grand Duchy’s national airline only requires at least its cabin employees to have a basic knowledge of Luxembourgish, as the “Aerotelegraph” portal reported. Luxair cites international customers and the lack of staff as the reason for the measure. And in the spring, Peter Albers, head of Swiss sister company Lufthansa City Airlines, caused a stir. He said he would not rule out employing cabin crew who do not speak German in the future.
Until a possible language rule change at Swiss becomes a reality, Fehlinger could also fall back on himself. The airline boss is a pilot himself, and when he took up the job at the beginning of the year he made no secret of the fact that he also wanted to be at the forefront for Swiss. But he still has to be patient: “I’m needed elsewhere and with the challenges we currently have, that won’t change in the short term.” The only question that remains is whether the company boss would sit as a co-pilot or as a captain in accordance with the internal seniority rule.