Chennai: Swiss international airlines "Swiss" has decided to christen all its aircraft in its fleet after mountains of Switzerland.

The concept is designed to reflect the strong tradition of "Swissness" and is expected to help strengthen the new carrier's corporate identity and design, according to a Swiss release on July 19.

The aircrafts of the long-haul fleet will receive the names of mountains whose summits are higher than 4000 metres like Dufourspitze, Signalkuppe, Zumsteinspitz and Weisshorn.

The release said the first of the new Airbus A340-300s currently on order will be christened as "Matterhorn" upon delivery in summer next year.

The new names would be finalised by the year-end, the release said, adding that with the year 2002 having been declared the "International Year of Mountains" by the UN, the names would be officially announced during the Swiss mountain summer event to be held later this year.

PTI