Swiss Airlines commences new flights between Bristol Airport and Zurich

On Saturday 4 February Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) inaugural service commenced between Bristol and Zurich. The route provides business travellers with increased opportunity to trade in one of the world’s leading financial centres and opens the door for multiple onward connections for leisure travellers.

With a vast, global, multi-hub connectivity it means customers from the South West and Wales will be able to fly from their local airport to an increased number of long haul destinations.

Customers arriving from Zurich on Saturday were presented with goody bags from Visit West, containing treats and information showcasing the local area. Whilst customers on the first inaugural service to Zurich enjoyed treats of Swiss chocolates.

Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city, is renowned for its world-class attractions, such as the sprawling and eclectic Old Town, a blend of medieval and Gothic, and crystal-clear Lake Zurich. The international financial centre offers a wide range of cultural activities; for example, the Zurich Opera House is one of the most diverse houses of its kind in Europe. From Zurich, many tourist attractions throughout Switzerland are easily accessible by public transport.

Heinrich Lange, Senior Director Sales Northern Europe Lufthansa Group Airlines said:

“SWISS is very pleased to add Bristol as our 8th 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 Relations, 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,  Visit West commented:

“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.”

SWISS’ service between Bristol and Zurich will strengthen the South West’s accessibility to Swiss markets and demonstrates SWISS’ commitment to the UK market, supporting tourism and business links between both the UK and Switzerland.