On Wednesday SWISS announced that it would be pruning its schedule of short- and medium-haul flights from Zurich and Geneva.
SWISS is also cutting back on flights to Tokyo, Osaka and Singapore, with two fewer flights to each destination per week.
Adjustments to the short- and medium-haul network are valid until March 28; those to the long-haul network until April 24.
No flights to China
Already on Monday, SWISS had announced that for the safety of passengers and flight crew, it was extending its suspension of flights to and from Beijing and Shanghai until April 24. This followed the announcement in February that the suspension on flights to Mainland China would be suspended until March 28.
This was a decision taken by the parent company, Lufthansa Group, and applies to several airlines including Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines. The Lufthansa Group also suspended flights from Munich to Hong Kong between March 6 and April 24. Some connections are also cancelled on the routes from Frankfurt and Munich to Seoul.
New restrictions have also been put in place for other destinations that have seen an outbreak of Covid-19 infections in the last couple of weeks. Connections to Tehran have been suspended until April 30, according to Keystone-SDA.
The airline group also announced on Friday that, owing to changed demand, it was cutting back on flights to northern Italy, specifically Florence, Milan, Rome and Venice, which includes 28 flights a week.
According to the airline websiteExternal link, passengers whose flights were cancelled can re-book free of charge or receive a refund of their ticket. Free re-booking is also available for several destinations in northern Italy. Further restrictions on short and long-haul flights are being considered.
The airline also advises any passengers traveling to other destinations to check local requirements as some governments have restricted entry for people who have travelled to China. In some cases, this applies to passengers with a Chinese passport.
Economic fallout
SWISS spokesperson Karin Müller told Keystone-SDA that she did not want to give figures on how bookings have fallen recently. “As a matter of principle, we do not communicate concrete figures about this.” According to Müller, more information is expected to be shared during the SWISS annual media conference on March 19.
Swiss Economics Minister Guy Parmelin will convene a crisis summit on the coronavirus later this week. This is an opportunity for industry to share their concerns and requests on the economic impacts of the outbreak.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
Swiss climate activists block vehicles near Gotthard tunnel
This content was published on
Around ten climate activists briefly blocked the A2 motorway near the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel on Thursday.
Watches belonging to Michael Schumacher up for auction
This content was published on
Schumacher's family is auctioning off eight rare watches from his collection in Geneva. The Christie's auction will take place on Monday.
Joya Marleen and Baschi named best solo acts at Swiss Music Awards
This content was published on
St. Gallen singer Joya Marleen and Baschi from Basel were named artists of the year at the Swiss Music Awards 2024 on Wednesday night.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Airline Swiss suspends all flights to China until end of March
This content was published on
SWISS has now suspended all flights to and from China until March 28 due to the coronavirus. It will use smaller planes to fly to and from Hong Kong.
Switzerland bans major public events to slow spread of virus
This content was published on
Switzerland has banned public events with more than 1,000 people until at least March 15 in response to the coronavirus threat.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.