London City sees return of SWISS flights to Zurich
London City Airport has welcomed the restoration of connections to Zurich (ZRH), with SWISS to resume flying to SwitzerlandÂ’s largest city from today.
Image courtesy London City
SWISS will operate two rotations per week to Zurich initially, although their schedule will increase in line with the anticipated surges in demand for leisure and business travel as travel restrictions are relaxed in the UK and Europe this summer.
Commenting on the resumption of SWISS flights, London City Airport’s Head of Aviation, Anne Doyere, said: "We are delighted that SWISS has returned to the airport to restore an important business and leisure connection between London City and Zurich.
"Zürich is a key centre for international business, finance and tourism, so this is very positive news for our passengers who can once again enjoy safe and speedy journeys to Zurich direct from the heart of London."
As the UK’s vaccination programme continues and international travel restrictions are relaxed further in the coming weeks, it is expected that more passengers will return to flying from London to destinations across Europe.
SWISS will gradually scale up their routes and schedules from London City ahead of the autumn as leisure and business traffic picks up. The Swiss national carrier expects to restore its route from LCY to Geneva (GVA) in August.
Tamur Goudarzi Pour, Chief Commercial Officer, Swiss International Air Lines, said: “We are very pleased to resume connections from Zurich and Geneva to London City. Its proximity to the city center and its convenient size with short distances make London City Airport equally attractive for our business and leisure travelers.”
British tourists visiting Zurich can explore the historic old town, its beautiful parks and green spaces and take a boat trip on Lake Zurich. For those seeking nature and adventure, Zurich is the perfect base for visiting the mountains, lakes and valleys of the breathtaking Swiss Alps.
This positive news comes as COVID-19-related travel restrictions start to ease with the restart of international travel to and from the UK on Monday 17th May, with the introduction of a new traffic light system that will determine the testing and quarantine arrangements that passengers will need to follow.
Switzerland has initially been placed in the Amber category, which means that travellers from England will need to take a pre-departure test and PCR tests on days 2 and 8 on their return, and self-isolate at home for 10 days unless exempt. The UK Government will review this categorisation every three weeks, meaning that continued progress with the vaccination programmes in the UK and Switzerland could see quarantine-free travel introduced between the two countries in June.
Passengers can pre-book a variety of COVID-19 tests for UK and international markets at London City Airport’s in-terminal testing facility. The airport has also launched a new portal to help customers understand the latest Covid-19 data and the testing and quarantine requirements of their destination, simplifying the booking experience and enabling passengers to make informed travel choices.
Research has shown there is significant pent-up demand for international travel this summer. Polling of the British public conducted for the airport in March found that 72% of frequent flyers want to return to travel when restrictions are lifted, while 71% said that travel should be allowed to and from countries that have COVID-19 under control. The airport also surveyed 500 UK business leaders in autumn 2020, finding that two thirds consider air travel as vital for the future success of their business.
Zurich was the airport’s fourth most popular route in 2019, with 429,019 passengers flying between London’s most central airport and Switzerland’s largest city.