Following the bankruptcy of Adria Airways and the end of flights between Zurich and Lugano, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) and Swiss Federal Railways are offering a new rail service between Lugano Station and Zurich Airport. 

The “Flugzug” service is bookable for travel from October 16 on the SWISS website or at any travel agency, the airline said on Mondayexternal link. 

Selected rail connections between Zurich Airport and Lugano in the southern Italian-speaking part of Switzerland will be issued with a SWISS flight number. The cost of the rail journey will be included in the SWISS flight ticket. 

The Flugzug timetable offers 14 daily services in each direction between Lugano Station and Zurich Airport, providing travellers with even more flexibility than the present four daily flights, SWISS said. 

SWISS said the present arrangement was a “pragmatic interim solution”, and the airline and the federal railways were working closely on optimising the Flugzug rail service, which as a feeder rail service until now existed only between Basel and Zurich Airport. 

Slovenian airline Adria Airways, which as a codeshare partner of SWISS flew between Zurich and Lugano, was grounded on September 23 on account of financial problems and filed for bankruptcy on September 30.

Air travel and CO2 Who flies within tiny Switzerland?

The grounding of Adria Airways – and its flights between two Swiss cities – has people wondering why anyone would fly such a short distance.

By Susan Misicka

SWI swissinfo.ch on Instagram

SWI swissinfo.ch on Instagram