Heike Birlenbach to Leave SWISS After 36 Years with Lufthansa Group

SWISS Leadership Transition Begins as Heike Birlenbach Departs

After 36 years in leadership roles across the Lufthansa Group, Heike Birlenbach will leave SWISS at the end of September 2026 to pursue new professional opportunities outside the Group.

Birlenbach has served as Chief Commercial Officer of SWISS since the beginning of 2024, leading the airline’s commercial divisions. During her tenure, she oversaw several strategic initiatives, including the introduction of the SWISS Senses long-haul travel experience, the development of the airline’s customer strategy and the strengthening of partnerships across Switzerland.

She also led efforts to modernise customer services through digitalisation and initiated the repositioning of SWISS WorldCargo. These initiatives supported the airline’s focus on improving customer experience and strengthening its commercial operations.

Before joining SWISS, Birlenbach held a range of senior leadership positions within the Lufthansa Group in London, Amsterdam, Milan, Munich and Frankfurt. Throughout her career, she worked across global sales, customer channels, product development and service strategy.

Jens Fehlinger, Chief Executive Officer of SWISS, thanked Birlenbach for her contribution, highlighting her role in advancing customer-focused initiatives and supporting the airline’s long-term development.

As part of changes to the Lufthansa Group’s leadership structure, the Chief Commercial Officer position at airline level will be discontinued. Responsibility for customer experience at SWISS will move directly to CEO Jens Fehlinger, while SWISS WorldCargo will become part of the Finance division.

The airline said the coming months will be used to complete the organisational transition and ensure continuity across its commercial operations.

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