Swiss has begun retrofitting its first Airbus A330-300 with the new Swiss Senses long-haul cabin at HAECO’s hangar in Hong Kong. The aircraft, HB-JHC Bellinzona, arrived on 20 July and is due back in service around mid-November after a major cabin overhaul that goes far beyond a simple seat change.
More than 50 technicians are working on the aircraft each day, with about 650 maintenance tasks carried out in parallel during the retrofit. Around ten suppliers from several continents are involved, including Collins Aerospace, ZIM and Recaro. The work is being done alongside scheduled maintenance, underlining the scale of the modification programme.
The rebuilt A330 will feature 225 seats in a four-class layout: three First, 43 Business, 28 Premium Economy and 151 Economy. Before the retrofit, the aircraft had no Premium Economy cabin. Bellinzona is the lead aircraft in Swiss’s wider A330 renewal programme, which is due to cover all 14 aircraft by May 2028. The airline has not yet decided which route will receive the refurbished jet first.