Edelweiss Returns to U.S. with Resumption of ZRH-TPA
After a two-year hiatus, Tampa celebrated the Edelweiss arrival on March 2
After a two-year hiatus, Edelweiss Air was a welcome sight as it landed its first Airbus A340 in Tampa Wednesday evening, marking the return of the nonstop service between Tampa and Zurich.
Edelweiss Air’s CEO and other executives arrived on the first flight to celebrate the occasion, as the Tampa service is the airline’s first resumption in the United States since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aircraft was welcomed by a ceremonial water arch, and the first passengers arrived through Customs to find a pirate, steel drums and TPA CEO Joe Lopano greeting them.
“Edelweiss and Tampa International Airport have enjoyed a wonderful relationship that spans the last decade, creating a critical connection between the Tampa Bay region and Europe for both business and leisure travelers looking to visit Zurich and beyond,” Tampa International Airport CEO Joe Lopano said. “We’re thrilled to welcome Edelweiss aboard once again, especially as we enter our busy spring break period, and we look forward to resuming this partnership for many years to come.”
Edelweiss, a member of the SWISS Group under Lufthansa, will provide the service from TPA on Wednesdays and Fridays. As Switzerland’s leading premium leisure airline, the carrier also provides one-stop connections via Zurich Airport to its vast, worldwide network through Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and SWISS, as well as code share flights with United Airlines and Air Canada.
“Today is a special day for Edelweiss,” Edelweiss CEO Bernd Bauer said. “We have waited a long time for this moment. We are very pleased that we can now offer our guests the nonstop connection between Tampa and Zurich again. The USA is very popular with the Swiss and we expect a very strong summer season.”
The route makes Tampa International Airport’s second to mainland Europe after Eurowings Discover – also a Lufthansa Group airline – launched four-times-a-week service between Tampa and Frankfurt in December. The Airport’s nonstop international service has been slowly and steadily returning over the past year-and-a-half since the international carriers halted flights in March of 2020.