Martin Knuchel has been appointed as the new head of cabin crew at Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS). Knuchel, who currently serves as head of crisis, emergency & business continuity management for the Lufthansa Group Airlines, will assume his new duties on 1st July 2023.
In his new role, Knuchel will be in overall charge of 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.
Knuchel (57) previously held other positions within Lufthansa Group, including cabin management functions at both SWISS and Swissair. He began his aviation career in 1995 when he joined Swissair as a cabin crew member, and still flies regularly today as a SWISS maître de cabine.
“Leading our cabin crew corps is a vital function within our SWISS organisation,” stated 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 labour 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.
