New Swiss Route to Zurich Takes Off from Cork Airport
The Swiss Ambassador to Ireland, H.E. Mrs. Marie-Claude Meylan was at Cork Airport on 2nd June to mark the inaugural Swiss International Air Lines route to Zürich together with the newly appointed Honorary Consul of Switzerland in Cork, Mrs. Anne-Kristine Kjelsen. Swiss, Cork Airport’s newest airline partner, launched the new twice weekly service that will operate Fridays and Mondays throughout the summer through to 2nd October. The inaugural flight was operated by Bombardier CS100 HB-JBC. The new route will add an additional 9,000 seats from Cork Airport this year
Zürich, the largest city in Switzerland, is known as the alpine centre for Swiss business and tourism. Famous for some of the world’s best chocolate and timepieces, it is also a city that will delight taste buds as it is also renowned for its culinary excellence. There are also strong business links as Switzerland is Ireland’s 5th largest export market.
From left: Darragh Hanratty, Head of Aviation Marketing, Cork Airport; Andreas Koester, SWIDD; Heidi (Sarah Murphy); Niall MacCarthy, MD, Cork Airport and Helen Fyfe, Key Acc. Manager Ireland for SWISS.
Speaking at the launch, Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport said: “We are delighted to welcome another new airline and particularly one as prestigious as Swiss to Cork and the South of Ireland. We also welcome Swiss Ambassador Marie-Claude Meylan to Cork to mark the occasion. Swiss is a member of the Star Alliance and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. We are very pleased today that the distinctive Swiss national flag which is also seen on the tail fin of the aircraft is flying proudly over Cork Airport. We look forward to welcoming thousands of Swiss visitors to Cork and providing further connectivity to businesses both here and in Switzerland.”
H.E. Mrs. Meylan said: “This new connection with Swiss International Air Lines is a fantastic addition for Cork, Zürich and the surrounding regions. There are a number of ties between the two cities and Cork’s reputation as the epicentre of Ireland’s tech and pharma sectors is very alluring for Swiss business visitors. But there are also plenty to attract the leisure traveller from both countries and I would encourage anyone from Munster to take the time to explore Switzerland and all it has to offer. Last year saw close to 100,000 visitors from Switzerland to Ireland”.
“The new SWISS bi-weekly service connecting Zurich and Cork is a great addition to Lufthansa Group’s portfolio in Ireland and offers connections not only to Switzerland but to a variety of SWISS destinations around the world” says Andreas Koester, Lufthansa Group’s Senior Director Sales UK, Ireland & Iceland.
Swiss International Air Lines, Switzerland’s national carrier, is part of the Lufthansa Group and is also a member of Star Alliance, the world’s biggest airline grouping. The partnership is a further boost to the steady increase in capacity and routes that Cork Airport, the gateway to the South of Ireland is providing to passengers.
Swiss International Air Lines now operate 8 Bombardier CS100’s which have been delivered since June 2016. The first of the CS300 order, HB-JCA, was delivered in late May and entered service last week on the Geneva – London Heathrow route. The airline has announced that the CS300 will visit Dublin for a ‘once-off’ visit on 21st June replacing the CS100 that normally operates the route.
The crew of the inaugural flight – Andreas Triska; Corine Schappler; R Sutter (Capt); Jessica Wege; F Noel and Mateusz Krakowiak being greeted by (from left) Darragh Hanratty, Head of Aviation Marketing, Cork Airport; Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director, Cork Airport; Anne Kristine Kjelsen, Hon. Consul of Switzerland; Her Exelency, the Ambassador of Switzerland Marie-Claude Meylan and Andreas Koester, SWISS.
About the Author
Mark Dwyer Mark is an airline pilot flying the Boeing 737 for a major European airline. In addition he is also a Type Rating Instructor, Type Rating Examiner and Base Training Captain on the B737. Outside of commercial flying Mark enjoys flying light aircraft from the smallest 3 Axis microlights up to heavier singles. He is also an instructor and EASA Examiner on single engines and a UK CAA Examiner. He flies the Chipmunk for the Irish Historic Flight Foundation (IHFF). Mark became the Chairman of the National Microlight Association of Ireland (NMAI) in 2013 and has overseen a massive growth in the organisation. In this role he has worked at local and national levels. In 2015, Mark won ‘Upcoming Aviation Professional Award’ at the Aviation Industry Awards sponsored by the IAA. Mark launched this website back in 2002 while always managing the website, he has also been Editor and Deputy Editor of FlyingInIreland Magazine from 2005 to 2015.
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