Swiss International Airlines inaugurated a new Zurich-Shanghai service on May 9.

Served by the Airbus A340, the route provides a daily non-stop connection with the Chinese mainland to complement the airline's existing services to and from Hong Kong, and should further raise the airline's profile in the growing Chinese market, sources from the air carrier said.

The airline said its new route offers promising prospects - recent years have seen sizeable increases in the numbers of tourists visiting both countries. As trade volumes increased by almost 50 percent since 2005, business travel has also grown.

The new service will also benefit from Air China and Shanghai Airlines recent inclusion in the Star Alliance, giving Swiss two well-established local partners offering onward connections from Shanghai to domestic destinations throughout China.

Swiss and Germany's Lufthansa together further raised customer benefits by coordinating their services to and from Shanghai. As a result, Swiss customers can travel to Shanghai at various times of the day, either directly from Zurich or from Lufthansa's Frankfurt or Munich hubs.

Switzerland's national airline, Swiss has a 77-aircraft fleet serving 76 destinations this summer around the world from its Zurich hub and from Basel and Geneva international airports.

As part of the Lufthansa Group and a member of the global Star Alliance, "Swiss will remain true to its mission of providing quality air services that link Switzerland with Europe and the world", the airline said.

"People who fly with Swiss feel at home. Its core values of personal care, Swiss hospitality and quality in every detail, mean the airline will continue to maintain its high market profile as Switzerland's national airline."

(China Daily August 1, 2008)