Originally Posted by
ElJudioErrante
I've flown this route a number of times although not recently. When I flew in Y, most of the pax were Swiss going beyond Dubai... I would imagine mostly to (SE) Asia, Indian ocean, S pac and E/S Africa. Right now all except the last category are closed to European tourists. So based on my assumption and recent experience on EK flights ex Germany and elsewhere in Europe... the pax demand is very light. Inbound traffic to Europe Inc to ZRH also light. Its not hot enough in Gulf now nor is it possible for most Gulf citizens to visit Switzerland. When loads increase, then we will see increased frequency and aircraft upgrade maybe. Travel restrictions being lifted being the key factor.
I fully agree on the travel restrictions! They put me off flying at the moment.
Visitors from the Gulf actually can now enter Switzerland without having to go into quarantine. In fact, our Covid numbers are so high that almost all countries have been removed from the mandatory quarantine list! Only visitors from
Andorra, Armenia, Belgium, Czech Republic and 3 regions of France still have to go into mandatory quarantine upon arrival (as of 23 November).
Switzerland on the other hand is on most countries’ mandatory quarantine list, so demand for international travel is rather subdued.
Passenger numbers at ZRH are still very low. I guess the high demand in cargo makes this route currently economically viable.