The Indian airline wants to fly to new destinations in 2024. Apparently this also includes Switzerland. For Zurich Airport, it would not be the only new long-haul destination in the new year.
As of 2023, India has been the most populous country in the world with 1.4 billion inhabitants. In other words: one in six people now lives in India. The sharp increase in population with an increasingly affluent middle class is also a growth engine for many airlines. Swiss is flying from Zurich to Delhi and Mumbai today.
But the Lufthansa subsidiary could soon no longer be alone with its direct flights between Switzerland and India. As the industry portal Simple Flying reports, the Indian Air India wants to add various new long-haul destinations to its route network this year, such as Dallas, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur or Los Angeles: And: Zurich.
Important economic relationships
Both the airline and the airport don’t want to look at the cards. When asked, an Air India spokesman said they did not want to comment on speculation. And Zurich Airport spokeswoman Elena Kuriger says: “As of today, the start of the route has not been confirmed.”
In fact, the economic connection between Switzerland and India could become more important in the future. The negotiations for a free trade agreement between India and the European Free Trade Association Efta, which Switzerland is a member of along with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, which had fallen asleep in 2013, have recently been resumed.
India is already Switzerland’s fourth most important trading partner after the EU, the USA and China. In 2021, goods and services worth 29 billion francs were exported to the world’s most populous country.
It wouldn’t be the only new direct connection for the airport in the new year. Swiss has announced new connections to Washington and Toronto for 2024. Further new long-haul destinations are not yet known, says spokeswoman Kuriger. “However, we are constantly in contact with the airlines.”
Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi?
She refers to Zurich Airport’s list in which it shows potential airline partners destinations with potential. With a view to Indian destinations, the Indian IT metropolis of Bangalore figures in the “Not served routes” category. And the under-served routes are Delhi and Mumbai.
Zurich Airport itself has had good experiences with India. In 2008, the Zurich company invested in Bangalore Airport in southern India. They helped with the construction of the infrastructure and with on-site management. After around ten years, the shares were sold. In total, the commitment brought around 100 million francs into the coffers.
Zurich giant building near Delhi
Zurich Airport would like to repeat this success story. He is currently investing 750 million francs in the new construction of the Noida International Airport near Delhi. He also holds the concession to operate the airport in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh for forty years.
Air India had revenue of $2.8 billion in the year before the pandemic and counted 22.3 million passengers. It is the second largest airline in the country after Indigo and is owned by the Tata conglomerate. For comparison: Before the Corona crisis, Swiss generated sales of 5.3 billion francs and had almost 19 million passengers.
2024-01-04 05:17:29
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