Brussels Airport records small growth in May in spite of Swissport strike

Passengers
In May Brussels Airport welcomed 1,719,561 passengers, making it the third month in a row with positive growth after the slight dip in January and February. Passenger numbers were up 0.7% in May in spite of the strike at Swissport, which lasted four days and caused several flights to be cancelled or diverted while other passengers chose to cancel their trip.

The number of originating departing passengers was up 2.1%, whereas the number of transfer passengers recorded a slight decrease. The latter is attributed to the reduced activity of Jet Airways. Intra-European traffic, and in particular the leisure and low fare segments, did well. Undoubtedly the unpleasant weather of the past few months has contributed to the growth in leisure traffic to sunnier destinations. The long-haul segment continued to show slightly negative growth mainly due to the discontinuation of the part of the Jet Airways flights and the loss of American Airlines in 2012. However, this trend was largely countered by the fact that several carriers, including Brussels Airlines and Qatar Airways, extended their services.

Aircraft movements
In May the number of aircraft movements decreased by 3.1% despite the growth in passenger numbers. This is mainly attributed to the improved load factor of the capacity offered.

Cargo
Cargo traffic recorded a negative growth of -12.8% compared to May 2012. The continued decline in full freighter traffic worldwide is translated in a 20,9% drop at Brussels Airport. As a large number of passenger flights left without belly cargo during the Swissport strike, this segment too records negative growth. This is partly compensated by the continued strong growth of the cargo volumes on integrator flights (+14%). This evolution is in line with that of previous months.

Network
A new announcement for the summer season of 2013 is the start of the new carrier Air Lituanica, which plans to operate a six weekly service to Vilnius. In June FlyGeorgia launched a two weekly service to Tbilisi. For the coming winter season, THAI has confirmed that it will up its frequency on Bangkok from 3 to 4 flights a week.



Brussels Airport, June 12, 2013

Swiss International Air Lines’ new non-stop service between Zurich and Singapore commenced yesterday evening with the departure of the first eastbound LX 178 flight from Zurich. The new route had previously been formally inaugurated at the departure gate by SWISS CEO Harry Hohmeister and Thomas Kupfer, Switzerland’s ambassador to Singapore. The new destination – its eighth in the region – further strengthens SWISS’s position in the rapidly-growing Asian market.

SWISS launched its new non-stop Zurich-Singapore service yesterday evening when the first eastbound LX 178 flight, operated by an Airbus A340-300 aircraft, took off punctually from Zurich Airport at 22:45. The new route had previously been formally inaugurated at the departure gate by SWISS CEO Harry Hohmeister and Thomas Kupfer, Switzerland’s ambassador to Singapore.

“Our new non-stop service to and from one of Asia’s prime economic hubs will meet the needs of Swiss business and industry and the broader Swiss population alike,” said Harry Hohmeister at the new flight’s inauguration. “Singapore is very important to Switzerland: several hundred Swiss companies have offices or operations there, and it also has a larger Swiss community than most Asian cities.”

As a global financial and commercial centre with major local industries including manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, Singapore is also a key airfreight hub. And in addition to its 219 seats in a three-class cabin configuration, the Airbus A340-300 that will be operated on the new route offers up to 18 tonnes of cargo capacity.

The new route is actually a return for SWISS. The carrier served Singapore from its foundation until spring 2009, though with an intermediate stop in Bangkok.

The schedule:

Code: Select all

Zurich - Singapore  LX 178  22:45 - 17:15 (the following day)   
Singapore - Zurich  LX 179  23:10 - 06:10 (the following day)

Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. Corporate Communications 13.05.2013

The six members of the Extended Management Board of SWISS have resolved to forgo 5% of their salary from 1 July 2013 until the end of 2015.

Their action is being taken in the light of the persisting extreme difficulties that are being faced by the airline business. Yields are still very low, while fuel costs are likely to remain an additional burden for the foreseeable future. SWISS is also facing the further competitive challenge of a strong Swiss franc.

In taking this action, the members of the Extended Management Board of SWISS are also making their contribution to the broader efforts – particularly under the Lufthansa Group-wide SCORE programme – to achieve an operating result from 2015 onwards that will keep SWISS both competitive and able to fund its future investments.

Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. Corporate Communications 10.05.2013

Swiss International Air Lines is to add Kiev to its European route network from the start of the 2013/14 winter schedules. The Ukrainian capital will receive daily service from Zurich from 27 October onwards. The flights will be operated with Airbus A320 equipment seating 152 passengers.

“Alongside our new long-haul destination of Singapore, we’re also actively investing in our European network, despite the currently adverse business and economic conditions,” explains SWISS CEO Harry Hohmeister. “Kiev is a market with large and steadily growing demand, and we aim to meet this through our new daily service.”

After Russia, Ukraine is the second-biggest export market for Switzerland among the CIS states. Kiev joins Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest, Moscow and St. Petersburg to become SWISS’s eighth destination in Eastern Europe.

Timetable (all times local):

Code: Select all

Zurich-Kiev  LX 2290 departs 09:45 arrives 13:20
Kiev-Zurich  LX 2291 departs 14:10 arrives 15:50

Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. Corporate Communications, 25.03.2013

SWISS adds daily non-stop Zurich-Singapore service in its new summer schedules

Swiss International Air Lines will be expanding its services and capacities to Asia and North America in its 2013 summer schedules. The airline’s Asian route network will be enlarged with the addition of a new daily non-stop flight between Zurich and Singapore from mid-May. In addition, the existing Zurich-Beijing and Zurich-Newark services will be switched from Airbus A340 to Airbus A330 operation, providing greater capacity. SWISS’s European networks from Zurich and Geneva will also be selectively expanded to meet the corresponding seasonal demand.

More services from Zurich
SWISS will be expanding its range of services to and from Asia during the 2013 summer timetable period. From 12 May onwards the airline will offer a new daily non-stop flight between Zurich and Singapore. The new route will be operated with Airbus A340-300 equipment providing 219 seats in a three-class cabin configuration. Singapore is SWISS’s eighth Asian destination from its Zurich hub.

The airline will also be increasing the capacity on its Zurich-Beijing services from the start of the summer schedules by switching these flights from Airbus A340 to A330 operation. Additional capacity will also be offered to and from North America from the end of March, when the equipment used on the Zurich-Newark service is also switched to an Airbus A330 with 236 seats. And, as in 2012, the frequencies on SWISS’s Zurich-Chicago route will be raised from a daily service to eleven flights a week from June onwards.

SWISS is also making selective adjustments to its European services from Zurich in its summer schedules in response to seasonal demand. These will see frequencies increased to various popular leisure destinations, especially in Southern Europe. The airline will add a further daily flight to its Zurich-Lisbon route from April onwards. And two new destinations, Olbia and Catania, will join the network from July to August. Olbia receives two weekly services, while Catania will be served with one weekly flight. SWISS will also be expanding its Zurich-Barcelona service from 28 to 32 flights a week over the same July-to-August period, while services on the Zurich-Dublin route will be increased from seven to nine weekly flights.

Seasonal service expansion for Geneva, too
SWISS will also be expanding its range of services from Geneva to a total of 15 destinations in its 2013 summer schedules in response to seasonal demand. The two new destinations of Olbia and Catania will be added to the Geneva-based network from May onwards, each receiving twice-weekly service. Frequencies will also be increased from May on the Geneva-Malaga route (to four weekly services) and the Geneva-Palma de Mallorca route (to five weekly flights). And a further point will be added to Geneva’s destination portfolio at the end of June: Porto, which will receive twice-weekly service until the beginning of September.

73 destinations in 39 countries
The SWISS route network will extend to 49 European and 24 intercontinental destinations in the airline’s 2013 summer schedules, or a total of 73 destinations in 39 countries. The services will be provided by a fleet of 92 aircraft (including five aircraft operated under wet-lease arrangements).

Edelweiss Air / SWISS leisure flights
SWISS will also be providing further summer air services to attractive leisure destinations all over the world with its partner Edelweiss Air. From Zurich, the new services introduced last summer to Tampa Bay and Vancouver will be offered once again. Weekly services will also be provided from Zurich to various other destinations including Male and Punta Cana. Geneva-based customers will be offered weekly services to Heraklion, Kos, Larnaca and Rhodes.

In a further extension of the partners’ collaboration, one of SWISS’s three daily Zurich-New York flights will be operated by Edelweiss Air from the end of March onwards. SWISS’s sister carrier will be performing these flights using a SWISS Airbus A330-300 featuring SWISS’s usual three-class product.

The summer timetable period runs from 31 March to 26 October.

Friday, 22 March 2013