Switzerland. Zürich Airport. Planes at gates. Swissair flight on the tarmac. A black man sits in a transit bus. Swissair was the former national airline of Switzerland. For most of its 71 years, Swissair was one of the major international airlines and was regarded as a Swiss national symbol and icon. The airline was declared bankrupt on March 31 2002. © 1995 Didier Ruef