Edelweiss sends A340 for final C-check ahead of January retirement

An Airbus A340 registered HB-JMC is back at Zurich after a 15-day maintenance stay in Hong Kong, Edelweiss said. The aircraft returned on 18 September. It will make its final flight for the airline on 17 January 2027, by which point it will have been in service for almost 24 years.

The jet was delivered to Swiss in 2003 and moved to sister carrier Edelweiss in 2023, where it was named Flumserberg.

The timing of the check drew attention because it fell only months before the aircraft's retirement. Edelweiss said the maintenance schedule set the date: the check falls due every two years for its A340s, and for this airframe that has been each September. Since all A340s leave the fleet in January, the airline said the visit was in fact the last C-check handled by HAECO.

Work during the 15-day stay was limited to the scheduled inspections and necessary maintenance tasks, and the cabin was refurbished.

Edelweiss held a multi-year contract with HAECO in Hong Kong for its A340 fleet. The airline said a deciding factor was the company's ability to reliably offer the required maintenance slots.