Cork’s connectivity to Switzerland and beyond has been boosted by the launch of the inaugural flight to Zurich with Swiss International Air Lines.
The Swiss Ambassador to Ireland, Marie-Claude Meylan, attended the Cork Airport event with the new Honorary Consul of Switzerland in Cork, Anne-Kristine Kjelsen.
Cork’s newest airline partner will operate the service on Fridays and Mondays until October 2. The new route will add 9,000 seats from Cork Airport this year to Ireland’s fifth-largest export market.
John McCarthy, Station Officer, Airport Fire Service, gets a big hug from crew members Corine Schappler and Jessica Wege as captain and first officers look on in the background. Andreas Triska; R Sutter (Capt); F Noel and Mateusz Krakowiak. Photo: Brian Lougheed
Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport, said: “We look forward to welcoming thousands of Swiss visitors to Cork and providing further connectivity to businesses both here and in Switzerland.
“Zurich is a modern, cosmopolitan destination and is a very accessible city with an abundance of culture, cuisine and arts. The old town is particularly beautiful and worth visiting. Likewise, our new inbound Swiss visitors will have the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Ancient East to savour and enjoy the food and golf particularly on the doorstep of Cork Airport. We look forward to a long and dynamic relationship with Swiss.”
Mrs Meylan said: “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,” said Andreas Koester, Lufthansa Group’s Senior Director Sales Britain, 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.
