Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has appointed Martin Knuchel as its new Head of Cabin Crew. He will assume his new duties on 1 July 2023. In his new capacity, Knuchel will be in overall charge of some 3,600 SWISS cabin crew members, the largest personnel group within the company, together with his Cabin Crew Management team. He will report directly to CEO Dieter Vranckx.
Martin Knuchel, who is 57, presently serves as Head of Crisis, Emergency & Business Continuity Management for the Lufthansa Group Airlines. Prior to this, he held various positions, including cabin management functions, at both SWISS and Swissair. He began his lengthy aviation career in 1995 when he joined Swissair as a cabin crew member. And he still flies regularly today as a SWISS maître de cabine.
“Leading our cabin crew corps is a vital function within our SWISS organization,” says CEO Dieter Vranckx. “With his long and broad experience both in cabin management and in other areas of our company, Martin Knuchel is the ideal appointee to this demanding position. The key negotiations on a new collective labor agreement and the thousand new cabin crew members that we are recruiting this year alone are just two of the major issues on the current agenda. And I wish Martin Knuchel every success and satisfaction in his new capacity.”
Martin Knuchel succeeds Reto Schmid, who has decided to take on a new professional challenge after seven years in the position. “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Reto Schmid for all his work, service, and commitment and to wish him all the very best for the future,” Dieter Vranckx adds.