New flight connection Zurich-Rostock starts in May 2010 – Modern jets of Helvetic Airlines bring Swiss tourists to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – incoming strategy of the largest regional airport proves to be successful – for online ticket booking from December 1st visit www.helvetic.com – for further information visit www.rostock-airport.de
Rostock-Laage, 30. October, 2009 – The strategic concept of the airport Rostock-Laage to focus on incoming tourism and thus to bring in more travellers to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern proves to be successful. In addition to the successfully launched domestic connections of Germanwings from Cologne and Stuttgart, now the scheduled connection to the international market has been, for the first time, implemented by using large jets from May 2010 on. The Swiss airline Helvetic Airways is going to start their new scheduled flight operation Zurich-Rostock in the merry month of May. Initially the connection is offered two times a week – every Thursday and Sunday. A Fokker 100 jet with 100 seats will be used, which provides convenient flight conditions at short flight times.
Maria Muller, managing director of the airport Rostock-Laage, says: „We are very happy to have established a direct connection to the source market Switzerland, which is extremely interesting for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In Helvetic Airways we have found a renowned partner, who is willing to operate and develop the route in the long run – already the initial flight planning concept has been designed for the next three years.” The flight days were selected according to the needs of Swiss visitors – both weekend trips and short trips are possible.
Tobias Pogorevc, CFO of Helvetic Airways, is excited: „Mecklenburg-Vorpommern becomes more and more popular in Switzerland, therefore we now enter the market. Already the first time, when I was invited by the airport Rostock to come to the Baltic coast, I became very fond of this federal state. We intend to sell the flight individually and to tour operators in Switzerland, who have already indicated their great interest in the product.“
"Switzerland is an important market for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern“, adds Bernd Fischer, managing director of the Tourism Association of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. “Until August we could welcome around 30,000 visitors from Switzerland – there is an enormous potential in the market. The connection of the airport to the holiday centres alongside the Baltic coast, for instance Warnemünde and Heiligendamm, the seaside resorts of the Baltic Sea on the pensinsula Fischland-Darss-Zingst, the Island of Rügen and the Mecklenburg lake district will bring foreign visitors and vacationers from Switzerland closer to holiday regions, which used to be far away for them. Together with the airline and the airport we are going to be more active in the Swiss market in the upcoming months."
"The airport Rostock-Laage is a significant location factor for tourism, economy and business settlements. Due to the geographical remoteness of the Rostock region, the development of the air traffic is of high importance to us. Reliable and regular flight connections are not only a decisive factor for tourism. We believe that more connections to tourist source markets will also strengthen the business travel segment. Germany is the most important trading partner for Switzerland and an interesting market, which can also be better explored by Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s economy. Therefore , we are looking forward to the new flight connection to Zurich, becauxe Switzerland comes closer to our companies“, states Peter Volkmann, managing director of the business unit trade, services, tourism, foreign trade and Europe of the Rostock Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
Apart from the incoming tourists, the route is also interesting for the people living in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, because the flights depart on Thursday and Sunday in both directions. This provides excellent options for a city trip to Zurich or a vacation in the mountains. Thanks to its direct railway connection to the Zurich airport, virtually all holiday regions in Switzerland can be easily reached.
On December 1st, ticket booking will be launched on the website www.helvetic.com . In addition, tickets can also be purchased at the terminal of the airport Rostock-Laage.
Further information on the airport Rostock-Laage can be found online www.rostock-airport.de . For more information on the region Mecklenburg-Vorpommern visit www.flymv.de and www.auf-nach-mv.de.
Rostock-Laage airport (IATA: RLG; ICAO: ETNL) is the largest passenger airport in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The facility established for the German Federal Armed, has been used by Flughafen Rostock-Laage GmbH as a regional airport since 1993. Around 60 of the airport’s 1,000 hectares are reserved for civil operations. This combination of military and civil operations is unique in the German air transport sector. Thanks to its ideal location, the regional airport is becoming an increasingly attractive gateway for Baltic Sea holidaymakers and business travellers. From a geographical viewpoint, Rostock also serves as an ideal logistics hub for many destinations, for instance in Scandinavia, the Baltic states, Southern and Eastern Europe. Licensed for 24-hour operation, the airport can handle all types of freight aircrafts up to jumbo freighters and provides around-the-clock service, whatever the weather.
