# Swiftair

Swiftair S.A. is an airline whose headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. It operates scheduled and charter, passenger and cargo flights in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Its main base is Madrid–Barajas Airport.

## History

The airline was founded in 1986. It wholly owns subsidiary Mediterranean Air Freight. Currently Swiftair is also a United Nations contractor for the United Nations Mission in Sudan.

## Fleet
### Current fleet

The Swiftair fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of November 2024):
Swiftair fleet :
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Notes |
| ATR 42-300 | 1 | — | |
| ATR 42-300F | 3 | — | |
| ATR 42-300QC | 1 | — | |
| ATR 72–200 | 2 | — | |
| ATR 72-200F | 4 | — | |
| ATR 72-200QC | 1 | — | |
| ATR 72–500 | 8 | — | One operating for the United Nations |
| ATR 72-500F | 1 | — | |
| Boeing 737-300SF | 1 | — | |
| Boeing 737-400SF | 10 | — | 3 operating for DHL |
| Boeing 737-800BDSF | 2 | 1 | Operating for DHL |
| Boeing 737-800SF | 1 | — | Operating for DHL |
| Boeing 737-800BCF | 2 | — | |
| Boeing 757-200PCF | 2 | — | |
| Boeing 757-200PF | 1 | — | |
| Total | 46 | 1 | |

### Former fleet

Swiftair formerly operated the following aircraft:
Swiftair former fleet :
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
| Airbus A300B4F | 1 | 2005 | 2006 | Leased from European Air Transport |
| Boeing 727-200F | 16 | 1999 | 2012 | |
| Boeing 737-300BDSF | 5 | 2008 | 2016 | One sold to Buffalo Airways in 2022 |
| Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner | 12 | 1990 | 2008 | Three sold to Swiftair Hellas |
| Embraer 120 | 10 | – | 2023 | Five sold to Swiftair Hellas |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | 7 | 2005 | 2015 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-87 | 1 | 2009 | 2010 | Operated by the United Nations |

## Accidents and incidents

* In October 1994, one of its aircraft was written off when the crew forgot to lower the landing gear as the plane arrived in Madrid.
* In May 1995, another aircraft was damaged beyond repair during a botched landing at Vitoria airport in Spain.
* In 2005, a Boeing 727 operating for DHL sustained starboard wing damage during a botched landing in Kandahar. It was repaired over the next 2 days and returned to Bahrain.
* In January 2012, a plane sustained substantial damage during a botched landing at Kandahar.
* On 24 July 2014, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 operated by the company performed scheduled flight AH5017 from Ouagadougou to Algiers for Algerian airline Air Algérie. The aircraft disappeared off radar 50 minutes after takeoff and crashed in Gossi, Mali, killing all 116 people on board.
* On 18 January 2016, an Embraer 120 freighter took out runway edge lights during its takeoff roll at Amsterdam Schiphol airport, on a flight to London Stansted. No injuries occurred.
* On 17 November 2016, a Boeing 737–400, registration EC-MAD, was flying on behalf of EAT Leipzig out of Shannon Airport when the pilots reported shortly after liftoff that they had lost all instrumentation. The crew remained in visual contact with the airport and returned for a safe landing.
* On 24 September 2022, a Boeing 737-400SF, registration EC-NLS, experienced a runway excursion at Montpellier-Méditerranée Airport, France. After breaking through the barriers, the plane ended its journey in the waters of the Étang de l'Or. There were no injuries among the three crew members.
* On 25 November 2024, Swiftair Flight 5960, a Boeing 737–476(SF) registered as EC-MFE, crashed in Vilnius, Lithuania while on approach, killing one crew member and injuring three others.