Fallen Star: The history of Swissair and predecessors - Hardcoverby Gnter Endres (Author) The history of Swissair began in 1931 through the consolidation of two airlines, Ad Astra Aero and Balair, and the national airline became known for its financial stability, punctuality, reliability, and excellent in flight service, and its sobriquet as The Flying Bank was well deserved. But throughout its existence, Swissair was handicapped by its small size, which prevented it from providing effective competition to the