Emirates has confirmed it will boost its services to Switzerland with the start of a daily A380 service to Zurich. 

From January 1st 2014, EK087 from Dubai to Zurich and its return sector EK088 will be operated by an A380, offering an increased capacity of more than 1,100 additional seats every week in each direction.

The service is currently operated by a Boeing 777-300ER.

Emirates will continue to serve Zurich with a double daily operation, which will equate to more than 870 seats on offer per day.

“The strategic decision to bring our flagship A380 to Zurich was made to support the city’s strong position as a financial services hub and centre for a vast number of international companies.

“There has been robust demand for business and leisure traffic and the extra capacity will stimulate more trade and tourism between Switzerland, the UAE and emerging markets eastbound - including ten destinations in India and 24 destinations in the Far East and Australasia - connecting both people and economies,” said Thierry Antinori, Emirates, executive vice president, passenger sales worldwide.

“Travellers from Switzerland will soon be able to enjoy the Emirates’ A380, being seamlessly connected through the Dubai hub to our dynamically growing network, providing connectivity to global hubs in Asia and Australia such as Bangkok, Sydney and Singapore.

“These markets, which are positioned as economic and tourism centres, are served with multiple daily flights,” added Antinori.

The A380 capacity boost on the flights to Zurich will further stimulate trade between the UAE and Switzerland, supporting a buoyant $9 billion trade relationship, according the UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade.

Over 169 Swiss companies operate in Dubai and SkyCargo supports movement of goods such as precious metals, watches, jewellery, heavy machinery and pharmaceuticals, giving local businesses greater access to foreign markets.