Air China to resume service to Zurich

A direct flight between Zurich and Beijing takes between 10 and 11 hours. Keystone

After several years’ suspension, Air China will again offer flights from Zurich starting June 7.

The Chinese national company will ensure four connections per week between Zurich and Beijing, according to Zurich airport spokesperson Raffaela Stelzer in an interview Tuesday with travel magazine “Travelinside”. The last trip made by Air China between the Swiss city and Beijing was in October 1999.

The announcement means more competition for Swiss International Airlines, as the new Air China flights will depart just fifteen minutes after those offered by the Swiss company, which is operated by Lufthansa.

“We are conscious that the departure times are relatively close. But we are working with Air China to coordinate ourselves even better,” explained Meike Fuhlrott, a spokesperson for Swiss, in a statement to Swiss News Agency ATS.

At the end of September 2016, Lufthansa and Air China announced an agreement allowing each company to sell tickets of the other to certain destinations. Swiss and Austrian Airlines, as subsidiaries of the German air transport group, also participate in this alliance. The launch of the agreement is expected in summer 2017 for flights leaving from China to several destinations including Frankfurt, Vienna and Zurich.