At the ceremonial ribbon cutting on August 25, 2026, Bernd Bauer, CEO of Edelweiss, Patrick Heymann, Chief Commercial Officer of Edelweiss, as well as Lydia Naef, Chief Real Estate Officer, and Stefan Feldmann, Head The Circle, of Flughafen Zürich AG, cut the ribbon.

“With the Edelweiss Hub, we are creating a place for encounters, inspiration and collaboration together with our partners from our destinations and tourism organizations. At the same time, we are making our brand, our holiday destinations and our passion for travel tangible for guests, partners and employees in a new way,” says Patrick Heymann, Chief Commercial Officer of Edelweiss.

Immerse yourself in the world of travel with Edelweiss

With the newly opened Edelweiss Hub, Edelweiss has created a 300 m² space dedicated to travel inspiration and anticipation for the next vacation. Guests can discover the diversity of the Edelweiss world and find inspiration for their next flight. Using VR headsets, they can virtually experience destinations around the globe, playfully test their geography knowledge with the Edelweiss GeoQuiz, and discover new travel destinations. The integrated café invites guests to linger with refreshments and snacks, while a selection of Edelweiss merchandise offers the opportunity to take a piece of the vacation feeling home with them.

The upper floor includes additional office space, primarily used for Edelweiss's assessment and training programs. It also houses the Customer Experience & Product Hub, which communicates Edelweiss's brand identity, service promise, and products throughout the entire customer journey, making the various brand touchpoints tangible.

The Edelweiss Hub is open Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays. Until the end of the year, the focus will be on Las Vegas, the Dominican Republic, and Egypt, providing inspiration for your next vacation.

Interested visitors will also have the opportunity to get to know the Edelweiss Hub during two open days on September 25th and 26th, 2026, and to discover the diverse offerings of the new experience world.

Edi Wolfensberger has many years’ leadership experience in the aviation industry and has been Chief Operating Officer (COO) and a member of the Executive Board at Eurowings since April 2022. Previously, the 45-year-old Swiss national served, amongst other roles, as COO of Brussels Airlines and Managing Director of Lufthansa Aviation Training Switzerland AG. He began his career in 2008 at SWISS, where he held various positions in the finance and commercial departments.

Edi Wolfensberger says: “It is a great honour for me to take over the helm at Edelweiss. Bernd Bauer and his team have developed the company superbly in recent years and successfully positioned it as a premium holiday airline. I am very much looking forward to continuing this success story together with the staff and leading Edelweiss into the future.”

Bernd Bauer had a decisive influence on Edelweiss during his twelve-year tenure. Under his leadership, the company developed from a holiday airline with just under 500 employees into a leading Swiss premium holiday airline, which today employs almost 1,700 people. During this period, the route network was expanded from around 40 to over 100 destinations, the number of passengers carried tripled, and the fleet and product range were continuously modernised. At the same time, he gave the Edelweiss brand a fresh and contemporary image and strengthened its positioning as a premium holiday airline. Key milestones include the expansion of the long-haul business with the introduction of the Airbus A340, and more recently the introduction of the Airbus A350 and the new generation of cabins. Furthermore, Bernd Bauer successfully steered Edelweiss through the COVID-19 pandemic and laid the foundations for the company’s current strength.

Dieter Vranckx, Chief Commercial Officer of the Lufthansa Group, says: “Throughout his exceptional career within the Lufthansa Group, Bernd Bauer has played a pivotal role in advancing the holiday airline sector and has thus made a significant contribution to the success of the entire Group. He has made Discover Airlines a success during a challenging period and developed Edelweiss into a flagship airline within the Lufthansa Group – always demonstrating entrepreneurial vision and courage, passion, a strong team spirit and outstanding leadership. Through his excellent management, Bernd Bauer has paved the way for sustainable and, consequently, successful growth at both airlines.”

Bernd Bauer says: “Edelweiss has always been a labour of love for me. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all my colleagues at Edelweiss and across the Lufthansa Group for their trust and excellent cooperation. I have thoroughly enjoyed the past few years. I am proud of what we have achieved together, and I am convinced that Edelweiss will continue to be successful in the future.”

Bernd Bauer turned 60 last year. Within the Lufthansa Group, executives generally retire from operational duties upon reaching the age of 60. He began his career in aviation in 1994 at Crossair and held various management roles at SWISS from 2002 onwards, before taking over as head of Edelweiss in 2014. From 2022 to 2025, he also served as CEO of Lufthansa’s holiday airline, Discover Airlines, and successfully positioned the fledgling airline in the German leisure travel and tourism market.