In a statement, SWISS announced that it will be expanding its route network in the winter of 2023 / 2024. The international company hopes to increase capacity to roughly the extent seen before COVID by restarting and increasing routes to cities in Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and beyond.

SWISS aims to expand number of flights by end of 2023

From the winter of 2023, SWISS will be expanding its route network from airports in Switzerland, the company confirmed on May 23. After suffering losses and staff shortages in 2022 and 2023, the firm said that it wanted to expand the number of SWISS flights to 92 percent of the capacity seen in 2019.

What's more, eagle-eyed travellers in Zurich and Geneva may have noticed that many "SWISS flights" have been flown by Air Baltic or Helvetic Airways over the last year. Now, the company aims to halve the number of so-called “wet lease” flights and run the routes themselves, with a company spokesperson telling Watson that the Air Baltic flights were necessary due to engine supply issues felt across the continent.

What's new in SWISS's winter timetable for 2023 / 2024?

From the 2023 / 2024 winter season - October 29, 2023, to March 30, 2024 - SWISS will serve 68 short and medium-haul routes from Zurich and Geneva. Zurich will have four more destinations compared to the same time in 2022, while the number of areas served from Geneva will remain the same.

The biggest headline from the announcement is that SWISS will restart its service between Zurich and Bremen, with the company promising four weekly flights to the Hansastadt - the airline originally launched the route in 2019 before it was cut during COVID. The airline has also promised more services to other German airports including six more flights a week to Düsseldorf, four more to Hamburg and two more to Hanover.

SWISS to increase flights between Switzerland and rest of Europe

The biggest expansion will be to European capitals and top tourist destinations, with Prague and Bucharest getting seven and five additional flights a week from Zurich respectively. The Zurich to Vienna route will be served by SWISS three times a day, while Portugal will be made a destination of “special focus”, with 14 flights a week between Zurich and Lisbon and 11 flights a week from the Swiss city to Porto.

Finally, SWISS announced that it would be slightly increasing the number of flights from Zurich to Berlin (52 flights a week), Barcelona (28), Amsterdam (28) and Athens (19). For its part, Geneva is set to benefit from more flight options to London, Lisbon, Porto and Athens.

For more information about the new timetable, check out the SWISS website.

Thumb image credit: Shutterstock.com / Michael Derrer Fuchs