Before the New Year I flew Helvetic Airways on a short but genuinely memorable hop from London City to Zurich, one of those flights that quietly reminds you how personal flying can still feel.

Helvetic Airways operates as a key partner to SWISS, functioning largely as a wet-lease operator under a long-term contract. This means Helvetic provides the aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance, all operating under the SWISS flight number and brand, which allows SWISS to maintain high frequency and regional connectivity across its European network. While Helvetic is an independent Swiss carrier, this close operational relationship ensures consistent service standards and seamless integration into the broader Lufthansa Group timetable, making them an important part of SWISS’s regional flying strategy.

I’ve put together a full video trip report covering the experience from curb to gate, and the Embraer E195-E2 feels perfectly matched to this route. The aircraft creates a calm, almost semi-private atmosphere, especially out of LCY, with a comfortable cabin, thoughtful service, and a refreshingly unhurried pace throughout.

A real standout moment was chatting with Julie, one of the Helvetic cabin crew. Her warmth, professionalism, and obvious pride in the airline really summed up the experience for me. It’s a great example of how central cabin crew still are to the overall passenger experience, not just operationally, but emotionally too.

Flight Details:

Route: LCY–ZRH

Aircraft: Embraer E195-E2 (HB-AZK)

Cabin: Economy

Flight time: 1h 19m

Fare paid: £497.22 (return cash ticket LCY–ZRH–HKG)

🎥 Full video here: