Planes belonging to SWISS and Helvetic Airways at Zurich Airport last month
Keystone / Michael Buholzer
The Covid pandemic has hit Zurich Airport, one of the biggest employers in the region, hard. But CEO Stephan Widrig says there are sufficient financial resources to get through the crisis, including the Omicron variant.
“We don’t need any state aid even in a difficult 2022, apart from the short-time work compensation,” Widrig told newspaper Blickin an interviewExternal link on Monday. He said short-time work had “helped enormously” and “hardly any” redundancies had been necessary.
He pointed out that infrastructure that requires maintenance “is exactly the same size”, which restricts short-time work in these areas. “At the moment, we’re applying short-time work mainly in units that are directly linked to flight operations, such as bus drivers and airport guides.”
More
More
Pandemic pushes more Swiss businesses to short-time working
This content was published on
In order to avoid mass lay-offs, Swiss firms are resorting to a measure that has proved its worth in times of crisis: short-time working. What is it?
Widrig said Switzerland’s largest international airport expected ten million passengers in 2021, less than a third compared with 2019, before the pandemic. “That also means we’ll have almost two-thirds less revenue from flight operations. Plus there’ll be lower commercial revenues because of the home office obligation and lower commuter traffic.”
He said that fortunately the company had built up reserves in good times and diversified its business. In 2021, another CHF900 million ($990 million) had been raised in borrowed capital to ensure liquidity.
More
More
Zurich airport in the red due to Covid-19
This content was published on
Switzerland’s largest international airport posted a loss in 2020, hit hard by an almost 75% historic slump in traffic due to the pandemic.
The airport lost just under CHF70 million for the 2020 financial year. “Zurich Airport is experiencing the biggest crisis in its history. We will certainly have another loss on our books in 2021,” he said.
Widrig reckoned it would take years before unrestricted worldwide travel is restored. At present, he doesn’t expect this to happen before 2025.
“Uncertainties are clearly increasing again for us; the ability to plan in the coming months is noticeably decreasing,” he said. “The spread of Omicron is prolonging the crisis. Much now depends on to what extent and for how long travel is restricted.”
More
More
Switzerland imposes entry restrictions to combat new Covid variant
This content was published on
Switzerland bans flights from southern Africa and imposes other travel restrictions to protect against new Covid-19 variant.
This content was published on
In the winter season up to April 2024, railway and cable car operators ferried 3% more visitors compared to the previous winter, and 5% more than the five-year average.
Rhine flooding: Swiss to invest CHF1 billion with Austria
This content was published on
As part of an international agreement with Austria, the Swiss government wants to pump CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) into flood protection measures along the Rhine over the next three decades.
Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation
This content was published on
After months of debate, Switzerland plans to give CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency this year, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.
Swiss study: insects mainly migrate at midday and dusk
This content was published on
A study led by the Swiss Ornithological Institute in canton Lucerne is helping to better understand the movement patterns of migratory insects.
Red Cross: 22 staff killed in Middle East since October
This content was published on
The Red Cross and Red Crescent network in Gaza and Israel has lost 22 staff members since last October, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) said on Wednesday.
Dortmund’s Kobel is first Swiss goalie in Champions League final
This content was published on
Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel has achieved history by becoming the first Swiss goalkeeper to reach a Champion’s League final.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
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
SWISS plans to cancel 2,900 flights over winter
This content was published on
Amid travel worries and heightened entry requirements, SWISS expects to cancel about 8% of flights over the winter period.
Task force member: Omicron ‘could lead to 30,000 cases a day’
This content was published on
If the Omicron variant continues to spread at its current pace, half the country could be affected by the end of the month, an expert says.
Covid-19: Switzerland tightens restrictions for the unvaccinated
This content was published on
Switzerland to restrict access to restaurants, bars, cultural and sports facilities to vaccinated people or those recently recovered from infection.
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.