Heike Birlenbach is leaving Swiss International Air Lines and the Lufthansa Group after 36 years, ending a career that took her from check-in work to senior commercial leadership. Her final duty will be a symbolic flight as an additional flight attendant on a Zurich–Chicago service, closing a long career that also included roles in cabin, sales and customer experience.
Birlenbach has been Swiss’s chief commercial officer since 2024 after a long career across the Lufthansa Group, including senior positions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and in group commercial leadership. Her departure removes one of Swiss’s most experienced commercial executives and comes as the airline continues to manage its customer and sales strategy from Zurich.
The farewell flight reflects her early start in airline operations and her wish to end the chapter in the cabin environment rather than in an office role. No successor or revised organisation for the commercial division has been detailed publicly.