SWISS’s new Bombardier C Series to make ‘flypast’ appearance at next week’s Geneva Lake Festival

SWISS already celebrated the delivery of its first Bombardier C Series aircraft – CS100 HB-JBA, which now bears the name ‘Kanton Zürich’ – on 1 July. And on Saturday 6 August SWISS’s second new short- and medium-haul twinjet from the Canadian manufacturer will be named ‘Canton de Genève’ at Geneva Airport. The choice of name for CS100 HB-JBB reflects SWISS’s keen and continued commitment to the people of Western Switzerland, who will be reaping the full benefit of the new ‘Whisperjet’ from next year onwards. The innovative Bombardier C Series sets new industry benchmarks with its inflight comfort, its operating economics and its environmental credentials.

Bombardier CS100 HB-JBB will be formally named ‘Canton de Genève’ after its first landing at Geneva Airport in a ceremony hosted by Lorenzo Stoll, SWISS’s Head of Western Switzerland. The aircraft will be jointly named by Luc Barthassat, Geneva cantonal transport, environment and agriculture minister, and by Genevan actor and comedienne Brigitte Rosset, who feels a close affinity to her home city and region. And following the ceremony the people of Geneva will experience a true world first: a flypast by the brand-new aircraft above Geneva’s lakeside promenade.

“I am hugely proud of our new Bombardier C Series, which we’ll be operating from Geneva from the second quarter of next year,” says SWISS’s Lorenzo Stoll. “We’re very grateful to our partners the Geneva airport authority and Canton Geneva for all the support they constantly give us in developing our air services for the Geneva region. And in naming our second C Series aircraft ‘Canton de Genève’ we at SWISS are further underlining our commitment to Western Switzerland. So on Saturday 6 August we’ll have two events to celebrate: naming our new CS100 and flying it over its new ‘home city’!”

A spectacular flypast

SWISS has been consistently supporting events in Western Switzerland – such as Geneva’s Course de l’Escalade and the ‘Athletissima’ in Lausanne – throughout its recent expansion of its Geneva business and operations. “The Geneva Lake Festival is reinventing itself, just as SWISS has been doing in Geneva for the past three years,” observes Lorenzo Stoll. “So what better way could there be to mark this ‘rebirth’ than by presenting our new aircraft which we’ll be operating from Geneva from the second quarter of next year? Cultural renewal and cutting-edge technology: we’ll be seeing and feeling them both in Geneva on Saturday 6 August!”

“We are delighted that SWISS has chosen our Geneva Lake Festival to present its new Bombardier C Series to the people of the Geneva region,” adds Emmanuel Mongon, the festival director. “This exceptional air show fits excellently into our new vision for our event – a great moment that will unite a large part of our population in enjoying a highly emotional experience in the magnificent surroundings of Geneva’s lakeside promenade.”

Brand-new SWISS Bombardier CS100 HB-JBB will perform its flypast over Geneva at 18:30 on Saturday 6 August. In the cockpit will be Robert Emeri, Frédéric Macheret and Markus Juchli. The ten-minute air show will also be commented on live on radio station and event partner ONE FM by SWISS Captain Zbigniew Bankowski and journalist Charles Super.