New airline begins daily nonstop service from Washington to Zurich
Airline and airport executives, staff and special guests gathered Thursday at Dulles International Airport to celebrate the launch of Swiss International Air Lines’ nonstop service between Washington, D.C., and Zurich, Switzerland, on an Airbus A330-300. With its inaugural flight on March 28, Swiss became the 41st airline to serve Dulles travelers.
Swiss International Air Lines first arrival to Washington Dulles (IAD)
Photo credit: @Dulles_Airport
A ceremonial ribbon-cutting event took place Thursday at Gate B49. The event was streamed on YouTube. A selection of catered snacks provided a taste of Switzerland before the flight boarded. Passengers and event attendees enjoyed Bischofberger cakes, cookies and Lindor chocolate candy before boarding.
Speaking on behalf of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Vice President for Airline Business Development Paul Bobson said, “Swiss announced this route four years ago [before the pandemic], and we are grateful that they came through with the great leadership of their CEO. This new flight will generate over $50 million in local economic impact each year.”
As one of four airline brands of the Lufthansa Group, Swiss’s new D.C. route makes Dulles Airport one of the group’s leading North American gateways.
Speaking on behalf of Swiss International, CEO Dieter Vranckx said, “Adding Washington as a destination to our portfolio, we're very proud that this strengthening of the relationship between Switzerland and the U.S. is really taking place; and it's a pleasure for us to stand here today four years after the announcement and to be proud to begin this new route. Our development of an airline doesn't stop by just adding capacity. We are investing around $5 billion in equipment in new aircraft, new seats, investing in our employees and investing in the customer.”
A Swiss Air Lines flight crew, as well as leaders from Swiss and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, joined in the ribbon-cutting.
Photo credit: @Dulles_Airport
Swiss International’s new route to Washington is the airline’s eighth U.S. gateway for the carrier. Travelers to Zurich can take advantage of rail service that provides complementary transfers to SBB (Swiss federal railways) trains from the Zurich Airport to Basel or Lugano railway stations in Switzerland.
Flights between Washington and Zurich will operate on the following schedule:
Future passengers can book travel at www.swiss.com/us/en/homepage
2022 Charlotte Douglas International Airport Report of Achievement
Giving back to the community is central to what Charlotte Douglas International Airport and its operator, the City of Charlotte Aviation Department, is about, and last year was no different.
Throughout 2022, while recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, we continued our efforts to have a positive impact on the Charlotte community. Of particular note, we spent the year sharing stories of how Connections Don't Just Happen at the Terminal - from creating homeownership and employment opportunities to supporting economic growth through small-business development and offering outreach programs to help residents understand the Airport better.
This whitepaper highlights the construction projects, initiatives, programs and events that validate Charlotte Douglas as a premier airport.
Download the whitepaper: 2022 Charlotte Douglas International Airport Report of Achievement.