Editing Swissair (section)

=== Founding years ===
On 26 March 1931, Swissair – Schweizerische Luftverkehr [[Aktiengesellschaft|AG]] (English: ''Swissair – Swiss Air Transport'') was founded through the fusion of the airlines [[Ad Astra Aero]] (founded in 1919) and [[Balair]] (1925). Balz Zimmermann and the Swiss aviation pioneer [[Walter Mittelholzer]] were the founding fathers. In contrast to other airlines, it did not receive support from the government. The name "Swissair" was the proposal of Dr Alphonse Ehinger, president of the directorial board of Balair, although "Swissair" was first deemed "un-Swiss". In the first operational year, 64 people were employed, including ten pilots, seven radio operators, and eight mechanics. Their planes offered 85 seats, and operation was maintained only from March to October. The route network had a length of {{convert|4203|km|mi}}.

[[File:Swissairlogo40.png|thumb|The first Swissair logo]]

On 17 April 1932, Swissair bought two [[Lockheed Model 9 Orion|Lockheed Orion]]s, making them the second European airline to use American planes after the Czechoslovak operator [[Czech Airlines|CSA]] purchased a Ford Trimotor in 1930. The Orion was the fastest commercial aeroplane of its time and was put to use on the "Express Line", [[Zürich]]-[[Munich]]-[[Vienna]]. This led [[Deutsche Luft Hansa|Lufthansa]] to ask [[Heinkel]] for a model that could top Orion's speed, leading to the [[Heinkel He 70 Blitz|Heinkel He 70]]. The first trans-Alpine route was introduced in 1933: Zürich-[[Milan]].

For the first time in Europe, flight attendants were employed aboard the [[Curtiss T-32 Condor II|Curtiss Condor]] beginning in 1934. [[Nelly Diener]], the first flight attendant in Europe, became world-famous. She was killed after just 79 flights in a crash near Wurmlingen, Germany, on 27 July 1934. The cause of the crash was [[Fatigue (material)|material fatigue]].

In 1936, [[Douglas DC-2]]s were acquired, and London was added to the route network. In 1937, the bigger [[Douglas DC-3]] was bought. In the same year, both founding fathers died: Walter Mittelholzer died while [[mountaineering]] in [[Steiermark]], Austria, and Balz Zimmermann succumbed to an infectious disease.

[[File:Erster Direktflug London - Samedan mit der Douglas DC-2-115-D, HB-ISI 1938.jpg|thumb|A Swissair DC-2. They would become a very loyal customer of Douglas, buying most of their commercial aircraft models.]]

On 27 August 1939, days before World War II broke out, the airspace over Germany and France was closed. Swissair was forced to suspend service to Amsterdam, Paris, and London. Two days later, the Swissair service was closed completely. Of 180 employees, 131 had to serve in the army. Despite the war, some routes were later re-introduced, such as Munich, [[Berlin]], [[Rome]], and [[Barcelona]]. In 1940, an invasion of Switzerland was feared, and Swissair moved their operations to the [[Magadino]] Plains in [[Ticino]]. Operations were suspended in August 1944, when a Swissair DC-2 was destroyed in [[Stuttgart]] during an American bombing raid.

On 30 July 1945, Swissair was able to resume commercial aviation.<ref name="Keimzelle">This section was translated from the article "Swissair" in the German-language Wikipedia, version [http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Swissair&oldid=57102269]</ref>