Double the challenge with Etihad Regional: after flights to Zurich, the national carrier intends to do battle on Geneva
The national airline Swiss Swiss do not want to give up the airport of Lugano-Agno, indeed.
The new strategy, called “Next Generation Airline of Switzerland” and presented today at a press conference in Zurich, shows that the carrier intends to get serious in his battle against the Arabs of Etihad Regional. Doubling the challenge.
Having announced its intention to propose independently of the flights on the Lugano-Zurich flights will be operated by the austrian airline Tyrolean, Swiss today has announced it would offer its customers 16 weekly flights on the route between Lugano and Geneva.
A line on which, so far, Etihad Regional had a monopoly.
The battle between the two companies will then be played on two routes: the Lugano-Zurich and Lugano-Geneva. And the airport of Lugano-Agno can only benefit.
As for the other features announced today by Swiss, with the summer schedule 2015 will introduce 22 new European destinations from Zurich. These innovations enhancing the attractiveness of the air network of Swiss – who had not ever counted many direct flights – and meet the expectations of the Swiss population, economy and tourism, “said the airline in a statement.
Towards a part of the new destinations announced there will be flights all year. It is Naples, Bari, Bilbao, Porto, Toulouse, Leipzig, Dresden, Graz, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Riga, Krakow, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Sofia and Zagreb. Palermo, Brindisi, the island of Malta, Thessaloniki, Izmir (Smyrna) and Santiago de Compostela will be reached in the summer with seasonal flights.
Swiss is also preparing to launch many innovations on the European fleet. In November will begin to transform the cabins of Airbus A320 and A321. This will in particular to increase the number of seats due to technical improvements. A new model of seats that give greater freedom of movement for the knees allow you to maintain the same current comfort and improve it in Business Class, ensures the company.
The interior of the aircraft, including seat covers, drawing inspiration from the style of the “lounge” (waiting rooms) of Swiss and design of long-haul aircraft. The first plane “modernized” will be put into circulation in late November.
In parallel to the transformation of the European Airbus fleet Swiss promises even more tempting meals in the form (“dall’attrattivo new packaging design”) and content in economy class with fresh products supplied by “producer exclusively Swiss”.
The modernization of the fleet also plans to replace from 2015 on the network in the short and medium-range current Avro RJ 100 with 30 Bombardier CSeries. In 2016 the Airbus fleet will be completed with an Airbus A321ceo novo. From 2019 to 2022 Swiss will take delivery of 10 Airbus A320neo and also 5 Airbus A321neo latest generation, to replace 10 Airbus A320s and five Airbus A321 older. The long-haul Boeing 777-300ER six enrich the Swiss fleet from 2016. The volume of investments for new aircraft is estimated at five billion francs.
ticinonews.ch 10/06/2014
