SWISS SensesAnnounced

• Il «Bellinzona» è a Hong Kong: dentro l'hangar dove Swiss smonta e rifà un Airbus A330

  cdt.ch · Sep 26, 2026

  Corriere del Ticino visited HB-JHC “Bellinzona” during its SWISS Senses conversion at HAECO in Hong Kong. The aircraft arrived on July 20, and CdT reports that it is expected to return to service around mid-November. As the first A330-300 to undergo the conversion, it will spend more than two months on the ground; subsequent aircraft are expected to require roughly one month each. The retrofit is being combined with a C-check involving more than 650 maintenance tasks, with over 50 technicians working on the aircraft daily plus around 20 additional support staff.

  The report also provides new details on the final A330 configuration: 225 seats, comprising 3 First Class, 43 Business Class, 28 Premium Economy and 151 Economy seats. Around ten suppliers across three continents are involved, including Collins Aerospace for First and Business, ZIM for Premium Economy and Recaro for Economy. After installation is complete, the modified aircraft must receive EASA approval before returning to service, and SWISS cautioned that the resulting wait could be either short or prolonged.

  CdT reports that the A330 retrofit program is planned to continue through May 2028, with at least one aircraft undergoing conversion at any time and potentially two simultaneously during the winter. SWISS expects the retrofitted A330s to remain in service for at least another five years. HB-JHC was not selected as the first aircraft for any particular technical reason; according to SWISS, its selection was essentially coincidental.

  The article also notes that SWISS was unable to find a buyer for HB-JHC’s removed legacy cabin, so the old interior will be dismantled and disposed of through the appropriate recycling process. The reported mid-November return remains a target rather than a firm service date, since completion is dependent on both the retrofit work and subsequent regulatory approval.

• A new cabin for “Bellinzona”: visiting the A330 retrofit in Hong Kong

  swiss.com · Sep 26, 2026

  SWISS provided a detailed look at the ongoing SWISS Senses retrofit of A330-300 HB-JHC “Bellinzona” at HAECO in Hong Kong. Since its earlier update, the aircraft’s legacy interior has been almost completely removed and the first rows of the new cabin have been installed. As the first A330-300 to receive the retrofit, HB-JHC is serving as the lead aircraft: lessons from the conversion will be applied to the remaining 13 A330s. SWISS also detailed the scale of the work, including a concurrent C-check, up to 50 people working on the aircraft at peak times, and a dedicated 1,500-square-meter parts warehouse near Hong Kong Airport. No completion date or first passenger route was announced.

• The first A330 with SWISS Senses is in the making ✈️

  linkedin.com · Aug 12, 2026

  SWISS confirmed that Airbus A330-300 HB-JHC had become the first aircraft in the fleet to undergo the SWISS Senses retrofit at HAECO in Hong Kong. The existing cabin had been removed and the aircraft prepared for the new technical installations, with a scheduled C-check taking place alongside the cabin work. Installation, inspections and testing were still to follow before HB-JHC returned to Zurich with the new cabin. SWISS did not specify a completion date or initial route for the retrofitted aircraft.