Kerry Airport this weekend welcomed the first in a new series of charter flights from Zurich which will bring hundreds of Swiss package holidaymakers and around €2 million in revenue to Kerry and the South West over the coming months.
The flights by Crossair/Swiss on behalf of Kontiki-Saga Reisen, a quality holiday operator in Baden, is one of a number of new services at Kerry which have been brought about by the Department of Public Enterprise's Regional Airport Marketing Initiative.
Ms Kathleen O'Reagan-Sheppard, the business and employers representative on the Kerry County Development board, and a member of the airport board, said the attraction of the high quality Swiss tourist would go some way to making up for the marked absence of American visitors this summer. The higher end of accommodation providers are experiencing the most pain as a result of the 20 per cent drop, she said.
About 800 Swiss visitors are expected to travel on one of the very few new air routes opened up anywhere since September 11th, said airport spokesman Mr Peter Bellew.