With a turnover of CHF1.17 billion ($1.28 billion) between January and the end of June, the carrier suffered an operating loss of CHF266.4 million in the first half of the year, following an operating profit of CHF245.3 million a year earlier. At the same time, the number of passengers fell by 64% to 3.2 million, the company announced on Thursday.
The airline was already hit hard by the spread of Covid-19 and travel restrictions in the first quarter of 2020, when it posted an operating loss of CHF84.1 million, following an operating profit of CHF48.3 million a year earlier.
The situation is not likely to improve any time soon. On Wednesday, CEO Thomas Klühr warned that the company was still losing a massive amount of money and a return to profitable flights was likely to take time.
The carrier has significantly reduced its losses since the end of the containment measures: currently the company is losing less than CHF1 million per day, compared with CHF3 million per day at the height of the crisis, said Klühr in an interview with Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten.
Against this background, the regular flight plan will take longer to resume than expected, but Klühr is “optimistic” that the situation will improve by the summer of 2021.
On Thursday, Swiss International Air Lines’ parent company Lufthansa reported a net loss of €3.6 billion for the first six months of the year. In the second half of the year, the German group again expects a negative operating result despite an uptake in business.
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.
This content was published on
The first plane took off from Zurich just after 8am to ease five days of travel chaos but only a handful of flights have managed to get airborne. The airport said it would take several days for services to return to normal. For many passengers who flocked to Switzerland’s busiest airport in the hope of…
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.