First flights to Swiss city from Bristol are launched
The first flights have been launched between Bristol and the Swiss city of Zurich.
The Swiss International Air Lines service will provide business travellers with increased opportunity to travel to one of the world’s leading financial centres.
The service also opens the door for multiple onward connections for leisure travellers.
Zurich’s multi-hub connectivity means travellers from the South West will be able to fly from their local airport to an increased number of long haul destinations.
Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city, is known for its world-class attractions, such as the sprawling and eclectic Old Town.
The international financial centre offers a wide range of attractions including the Zurich Opera House.
Heinrich Lange, senior director sales Northern Europe Lufthansa Group Airlines said: “Swiss is very pleased to add Bristol as our eighth airport in the UK, from where we offer direct flights to Zurich and beyond.
“Our initial timetable has primarily been designed to enable customers a convenient arrival into the Swiss Alps.
“From April onwards we are increasing our frequency and as of June we will operate three weekly flights Bristol-Zurich. Our new Bristol services offers convenient schedules between Bristol and Switzerland’s financial centre and an easy access to our global network of over 110 destinations.”
Shaun Browne, head of airline relation at Bristol Airport, said: “This is an incredibly exciting day for Bristol Airport and the region. SWISS is a major global airline and this decision shows confidence in the region.
“The regular scheduled service between Bristol and Switzerland opens up a wide range of European and worldwide connections to our customers.
“Zurich is a great city whether for business or leisure and the link between the cities allows us to promote the South West and Wales region to inbound visitors from Switzerland and beyond. We see great potential for this service and are delighted SWISS have already confirmed they will be increasing the frequency to three flights a week in the summer and we will continue to work with SWISS on other exciting route opportunities for the future.“
Kathryn Davis, managing director of Visit West, said: “This new route from Zurich to Bristol with SWISS provides a huge opportunity to further develop and rebuild our inbound European visitor market. Pre-pandemic, Switzerland was one of the region’s larger inbound markets, and Bristol one of the most popular UK cities with Swiss visitors.
“There were more than 38,000 Swiss visits in 2019, over half of which were holiday visits, so this route is a critical part of rebuilding the market. We look forward to welcoming passengers on the first flight and continuing to rebuild awareness through our trade partners.”
