In a highly intriguing network development, Swiss leisure carrier Edelweiss has announced Zurich to Bogotá and Cartagena. It is its first time in South America. Catering to vacationers in Colombia, it will use the increasingly rare A340-300, its only long-haul type. Flights lift off this November. Not surprisingly, it appears that Switzerland has never had Colombia flights before.
Edelweiss to Colombia
Beginning on November 22nd, flights will operate on Wednesdays and Sundays. They will use the 314-seat A340, of which it (currently) has four. Each has the same configuration: 27 seats in business, 76 in premium economy (Economy Max), and 211 in economy. The schedule is as follows, with all times local:
| Routing | Flight | Wednesdays (block time) | Sundays (block time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zurich-Bogotá | WK92 | 09:25-15:30 (12h 5m) | 12:05-18:10 (12h 5m) |
| Bogotá-Cartagena | WK92 | 17:00-18:30 (1h 30m) | 19:40-21:10 (1h 10m) |
| Cartagena-Zurich | WK92 | 19:40-12:05+1 (10h 25m) | 22:20-14:50+1 (10h 30m) |
Click here for Zurich-Bogotá flights.
According to booking data, Zurich-Bogota had about 18,000 roundtrip passengers in 2019, while it was approximately 3,000 for Zurich-Cartagena.
Bogotá/Cartagena join São Paulo and Buenos Aires (served by SWISS) as the only South American airports from Switzerland this coming northern winter.
Stay aware: Sign up for my weekly new routes newsletter.
Third European airport to Cartagena
As of April 12th and subject to change, Amsterdam, Madrid, and now Zurich will be served from Cartagena. Funnily enough, Amsterdam has more flights than Madrid, resulting from not being operated by Iberia and, therefore, more reliant on point-to-point traffic.
The operation this winter is as follows:
- KLM: daily, 787-9; operates Amsterdam-Bogota-Cartagena-Amsterdam
- Plus Ultra: three weekly, A330-200; operates Madrid-Bogota-Cartagena-Madrid
- Edelweiss: twice-weekly, A340-300; Zurich-Bogota-Cartagena-Zurich
Eighth airport from Bogotá
Also subject to change, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London Heathrow, Madrid, Paris CDG, and now Zurich have Bogotá passenger flights this winter. When spread across the whole season, there are an average of 13 daily Europe flights. It can vary per day.
| Airline | This winter, Bogotá to… |
|---|---|
| Air Europa | Madrid (daily, 787-8) |
| Air France | Paris CDG (daily, 787-9) |
| Avianca | Barcelona (daily, 787-8), Madrid (triple daily, 787-8), London Heathrow (daily, 787-8) |
| Edelweiss | Zurich* (twice-weekly, A340-300) |
| Iberia | Madrid (double daily, A350-900) |
| KLM | Amsterdam* (daily, 787-8) |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt (five weekly, A340-300) |
| Plus Ultra | Madrid* (three weekly, A330-200) |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul** (daily, 777-300ER) |
| * Triangular with Cartagena. ** Triangular with Panama City |
Snapshot: November 22nd, 2023
On the day that Edelweiss lands, November 22nd, Bogotá has these 14 departing flights to Europe. They are organized by departure time:
- 14:55: Avianca (AV26), Madrid
- 15:50: Avianca (AV81), Barcelona
- 16:05: KLM (KL741), Amsterdam (via Cartagena)
- 16:25: Turkish Airlines (TK800), Istanbul (via Panama City)
- 17:00: Edelweiss (WK92), Zurich (via Cartagena)
- 18:20: Iberia (IB6586), Madrid
- 18:31: Avianca (AV46), Madrid
- 19:10: Plus Ultra (PU221), Madrid (via Cartagena)
- 21:15: Air Europa (UX194), Madrid
- 22:25: Iberia (IB6588), Madrid
- 23:15: Avianca (AV120), London Heathrow
- 23:30: Lufthansa (LH543), Frankfurt
- 23:35: Avianca (AV10), Madrid
- 23:55: Air France (AF423), Paris CDG
Will you be flying between Switzerland and South America this year? If so, let us know in the comments.