EasyJet ditches plan for Swiss shuttle service
The low-cost airline, EasyJet, has shelved plans for a shuttle service between Zurich and Geneva, citing low demand.
The company said it was also worried such a move would bring it into conflict with the Swiss government as the new national carrier, “swiss”, swings into action.
At a news conference at Zurich airport to launch a new route between Zurich and London Gatwick, the airline’s CEO, Ray Webster, said the development of other routes now had priority.
Last year, EasyJet said it intended to fly between Zurich and Geneva six times a day in competition with the new national airline, but Webster said the market was smaller than previously thought.
Moreover, he added that around 60 per cent of passengers travelling between Zurich and Geneva were in transit to other countries. But Webster refused to rule out the possibility that EasyJet could offer the service in the future.
For now, the company said it would concentrate its expansion plans on potentially popular European routes, such as the one between Paris Orly and Switzerland planned for this summer.
In the next twelve years, EasyJet says it wants to increase its fleet tenfold to around 300 aircraft. “The future belongs to low-cost companies,” said Webster.
EasyJet has shown an annual growth rate of 25 per cent since 1996 and last year recorded an impressive seating occupancy of 82 per cent, which was well above the industry average.
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