Air China swoops into Zurich in wake of Chinese takeover spree

As Chinese appetite for Swiss companies grows, so is demand for flights between the two countries. Air China is seizing on an opportunity to jet more executives to Zurich by introducing its first direct flights from Beijing to the financial hub on Wednesday. Airbus SE A330-200s will ferry as many as 227 passengers between the cities four times a week. “More and more Chinese companies are interested in investing in Switzerland,” said Chen Ge, general manager of Air China’s Swiss branch. “That’s helpful for our operations because it means there are more businessmen traveling to Switzerland.” The start of the route follows on the heels of a string of Chinese takeovers in the central European country. Lufthansa also stands to benefit from the new service. The company in September said it’s setting up a commercial joint venture with Air China that allows the partners to coordinate schedules and prices on routes covered, which will include the German airlines’ Swiss and Austrian arms. Swiss and Air China already code-share on the airlines’ twice weekly Geneva-Beijing route. The cooperation will also include the new service offered by Air China to Zurich, and the companies will share the revenues generated from these flights once the joint venture is fully implemented.<br/>