Vice-President of the Government welcomes new Edelweiss Air route connecting Terceira to Zurich in 2025
The Vice-Presidency of the Government congratulates the airline Edelweiss Air on the expansion of its operations in the Azores, with special emphasis on the new route connecting Zurich to Terceira Island.
The new route will operate once a week from June to September and represents a unique opportunity to increase the visibility of Terceira Island.
The initiative results from the work of Visit Azores, in partnership with Lages Civil Airport and the Regional Government, to develop and consolidate air access to the archipelago.
The Vice-President of the Government, Artur Lima, emphasised the importance of this new route, explaining that "the introduction of the new route between Zurich and Terceira Island is a major step towards a more balanced distribution of tourist flows among the Azorean islands."
"This expansion not only strengthens the Azores‘ connectivity with Europe but also boosts existing routes to the North American continent and promotes economic and social sustainability, directly benefiting the local community," he added.
The new route will be operated using an Airbus A320-NEO which, with its 174 seats, will have the capacity to transport 2,088 passengers to Lajes Airport during the planned period of operation.
With the creation of this new direct route from Terceira to Switzerland, residents of Terceira Island can travel to Switzerland more easily, facilitating family visits, academic exchanges and the search for new business opportunities.
In addition to the new route to Terceira, Edelweiss Air will also operate at Ponta Delgada airport with a new weekly frequency.
From May, the airline will introduce a second weekly service to São Miguel, which will continue until October. Between June and September, there will also be a third weekly service, providing more flexibility and convenience for travellers.
This action stems from Visit Azores' strong commitment to the Swiss market, which is in 10th place in the ranking of source markets for tourists to the Autonomous Region of the Azores, with 26,115 overnight stays in 2023, representing a growth of 30% compared to 2022.
With great interest and growing demand for nature destinations, where sustainability is the pillar of development in the travel and leisure sector, Swiss tourism finds in the Azores a much sought-after and always safe refuge in nature.
