When I reach Daniel Meier by video call, he is sitting in a hotel room in Rio de Janeiro, enjoying his vacation. Behind him, Copacabana Beach sparkles in the distance. For many people, a view like this is the very definition of being far from home. For Daniel Meier, it is a familiar sight. For decades, the world has been his workplace.

He first came to Rio as a child with his father, who was also an airline pilot. “Flying was, to some extent, in my blood,” he says. Today, more than five decades later, he has returned with his wife, his son, and his son’s girlfriend. At the same time, another milestone is approaching. At the end of the year, the longtime SWISS captain and Chief Technical Pilot will reach the airline’s mandatory retirement age for commercial pilots and officially retire. Even so, he is not ready to stop just yet.

The thought is not an easy one for him. “Now that retirement is approaching, I’m definitely starting to feel nostalgic,” says the 60-year-old. “I’m not ready to give up flying. I feel fit and healthy.” Daniel comes across as alert, energetic, and deeply enthusiastic about his profession—not like someone who is already thinking about calling it quits. He has spent more than 30 years in the cockpit. Aviation has taken him around the world and shaped a large part of his life. Even today, he still feels he has something to contribute to.

From mechanical engineering to the flight deck
Daniel’s airline career began in 1994. After earning a degree in mechanical engineering, he decided to pursue pilot training and made the transition to the flight deck.

One of his proudest memories is the day he was promoted to captain after many years flying long-haul routes. “As a captain, you’re responsible for the entire operation: the aircraft, the crew, the passengers, and the flight itself. That makes the job even more challenging and rewarding.”

In addition to flying, Daniel has held a series of specialized roles throughout most of his career. He first served as a Technical Pilot and later as Chief Technical Pilot. In that role, he oversees the safe integration of new technologies into flight operations, updates manuals and operating procedures, and supervises aircraft delivery and ferry flights.

Despite his deep involvement with technology, Daniel would rather talk about people today—about pre-flight briefings, shared dinners somewhere around the world, and flight crews who meet for the first time in the morning and, just a few hours later, are working together seamlessly as a team. “The longer I’ve been flying, the more I’ve come to appreciate working with people,” he says. “Every crew is put together from scratch, yet somehow it just works.”

That, he says, is what he will miss the most.

A broader perspective
When you regularly look down on the world from 35,000 feet, you may not see life completely differently, but your perspective does change, Daniel says. “Many of the problems we worry about in Switzerland suddenly seem much smaller when viewed in a broader context. It keeps you humble.”

Travel has always been part of his personal life as well. With a smile, he says it has become almost second nature, not because he takes it for granted, but because exploring the world has been a natural part of his life since childhood. After retirement, he can easily imagine setting off on a journey with his family for several weeks at a time.

When experience brings confidence
Over the years, thousands of flight hours have been joined by something just as valuable: experience and composure. The collapse of Swissair, the COVID-19 pandemic, and countless unexpected situations have taught Daniel to trust established procedures and the strength of teamwork. As a young first officer, he admits, he sometimes sat on the flight deck with a little more tension.

“With time, you gain confidence that what we train for really does work, even in difficult situations.” Passing that confidence on to others is something he cares deeply about. At the same time, he emphasizes that a strong new generation is emerging at SWISS. “We have many young, exceptionally talented pilots. They bring fresh ideas and new energy.”

A dream come true
Alongside his promotion to captain, one of the defining highlights of Daniel’s career was ferrying SWISS’s second Airbus A350, registration HB-IFB, from Toulouse to Zurich.

It only takes a few minutes of conversation to realize how much he enjoys talking about the aircraft. “The Airbus A350 is a masterpiece of engineering—probably the finest aircraft flying today,” he says. “Being able to transition to the A350 at the very end of my career is truly a dream come true.”

Retirement—but not the end
Daniel understands why SWISS pilots are required to retire at 61. For him personally, however, the timing still feels a little early. “Not only from a personal perspective, but from an economic one as well, it seems a little early to stop working altogether,” he says. “I feel I still have something to contribute.”

After talking with other pilots, Daniel has realized he is far from alone in finding retirement difficult. After decades of carrying responsibility and working closely as part of a crew, he says, it is not something you can simply leave behind overnight. Going from 100 to 0 just isn’t his style. That’s why, after retiring, he plans to continue taking on occasional assignments as a freelancer. At SWISS, pilots can do so until the age of 63.

This will allow him to continue sharing his experience while also making more time for his family, sports, and travel. “I’m actually looking forward to the possibility of being a little bored once in a while,” he says with a laugh. But the chances of that happening seem slim. Daniel has been flying gliders as a hobby for more than 40 years, so aviation will remain part of his life long after he leaves the airline flight deck.

And where will his final SWISS flight take him?
Perhaps Seoul. Or Johannesburg. A beautiful long-haul destination aboard the Airbus A350, with enough time for the crew and a chance to bring his career to a fitting close. But Daniel would rather not think about that last flight just yet. His passion for flying is as strong as ever. And if it were up to him, he would gladly spend a little while longer passing on his experience to the next generation.