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Switzerland in autumn: 5 stunning photos from Instagram

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Switzerland is beautiful any time of the year. But in autumn is at its most colourful. If you can’t escape the office to see it for yourself then here are five amazing autumn photographs, with their locations – just in case you can, selected from Instagram.

1. Lötschental, Valais, Switzerland

A photo posted by Andre Stummer (@andrestummer) on

2. Goms bridge, Valais, Switzerland

A photo posted by Raphael (@raphaeldupertuis) on


Bellwald tourist office.

3. Munt la Schera in the Swiss canton of Graubunden

A photo posted by Boris (@borisbaldinger) on

4. Lac Bleu in Evolène in the canton of Valais

A photo posted by Sylvain (@slvcns) on

5. Stellisee – looking towards the Matterhorn

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Flight shame and taxes could halve growth in passenger numbers, says UBS

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A recent report based on a survey of 6,000 people by the Swiss bank UBS suggests growth in the number of people taking to the skies could halve as people choose to fly less, according to various news media including the BBC.

Flight shame could halve growth in passenger numbers, says UBS
© Tea | Dreamstime.com

21% of those surveyed across the UK, France, Germany and the US said they had decided for environmental reasons to reduce the number of flights they took over the last 12 months.

Part of this could be due to the flight shame movement, a term coined in Sweden where it is known as flygskam.

Global air travel has been growing by between 4% and 5% a year. Plane makers Airbus and Boeing predict growth will continue at this rate, which would double passenger numbers by 2035.

Taking into account increases in flight taxes and flight shame, UBS predicts annual growth of 1.5% in Europe and 1.3% in the US. By contrast, Airbus predicts 3.0% growth in Europe and 2.1% in the US.

Switzerland is currently considering introducing a flight tax of between CHF 30 and CHF 120 depending on seat class and flight distance.

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easyJet adds two new destinations from Geneva

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easyJet will add two new destinations from Geneva starting in November 2019, according to Geneva airport.

Petra Jordan
Petra in Jordan – © Xabier Tovar | Dreamstime.com

From November the airline will offer flights to Prague, in the Czech Republic, and Aqaba, in Jordan, to its list of destinations from Geneva.

Aqaba is a port city next to the Red Sea not far from the archaeological site Petra.

More on this:

Geneva airport press release (in English)

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“CH” stickers might disappear from Swiss cars

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The “CH” sticker that Swiss drivers must legally put on their vehicles before entering another country might disappear, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes.

© Cineberg Ug _ Dreamstime.com

The sticker, a distinguishing sign of the state in which the car is registered, must be attached to rear of any vehicle driven in a foreign country1. It is required under the 1968 international convention on road traffic. Under these rules, the distinguishing sign must use Latin characters2, so the red insignia on Swiss plates doesn’t qualify. EU licence plates, on the other hand, have country initials incorporated into them so do not need to add a sticker.

In practice not all foreign countries respond to CH sticker delinquents in the same way. Italian police seem to be the most zealous enforcers, while the French and German police rarely do anything.

An ongoing sticker struggle between fans of the sticker, who claim it is a low cost easy fix, and those who object and would like to see “CH” incorporated into the Swiss licence plate, has resulted in an initiative, which aims to put the issue to a popular vote – initiators have until 5 September 2020 to collect sufficient signatures.

However, in the meantime, a practical numbering issue looks like it might force change in Swiss licence plate design. Swiss plates, which are issued by the canton of residence, consist of six numbers, placing a mathematical limit on the number of plates, a limit which is close to being reached in cantons with large populations.

Before these limits are reached, a new design will be needed, and the new design could incorporate a “CH”. The Federal Council will examine the issue. So far no timetable has been set.

Note: “CH” stands for Confoederatio Helvetica, Latin for Swiss Confederation.

More on this:
20 Minutes article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now

1 Article 37: Distinguishing sign of the State of registration. Every motor vehicle in international traffic shall display at the rear, in addition to its registration number, a distinguishing sign of the State in which it is registered.
2 The composition of the distinguishing sign referred to in this Article, and the manner of displaying it, shall conform to the requirements of Annex 3 to this Convention. Annexe 3 states: The distinguishing sign referred to in Article 37 of this Convention shall consist of one to three letters in capital Latin characters.

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Swiss vote could cause chaos at Swiss airports

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A referendum aimed at rejecting changes to Swiss gun laws scheduled for 19 May 2019 could cause major disruption at airports in Zurich and Geneva if it succeeds, according to various newspapers.

© Toxawww | Dreamstime.com

If the vote is successful it might eventually lead to the exclusion of Switzerland from the Schengen area. If this happened, immigration staff at Swiss airports would need to check the passports of all those entering from and departing to other Schengen area countries.

The vote aims to reverse new rules on gun laws introduced by the Swiss government in September last year in response to changes in EU gun laws. According to RTS, Switzerland’s broadcaster, if the referendum succeeds, Switzerland’s membership of the Schengen area will automatically expire after six months unless a committee of Swiss and EU officials agrees to extend it within 90 days, an unrealistic scenario according to some commentators.

The Schengen area is the world’s largest visa free zone, covering most of the EU and the non-EU nations of Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein.

In Geneva, this would mean checking the passports of an additional 5.5 million passengers, around 60% of the number passing through the airport currently, according to André Schneider, Geneva Airport’s director, who spoke to the newspaper Le Matin.

In addition, because of the way airports are currently configured, there isn’t enough space to do the checks. According to EconomieSuisse, the required reconfiguration at Zurich Airport would cost between 65 and 125 million francs.

Mr Schneider said the cost of a similar reconfiguration, which would involve removing some retailers, would cost around half the cost of the work required in Zurich.

In any case, the change wouldn’t occur quickly. “We would have to endure a long transitionary period with endless queues for passport checks”, said the airport’s director.

More on this:
Le Matin article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
RTS article (in French)
Swiss government information on the vote (in French)
Tribune de Genève article (in French)

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Video – deadly avalanche at Crans Montana Switzerland

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Yesterday, an avalanche, which started above a piste at the Swiss resort of Crans Montana, spilled out on to it.

According to local police, the avalanche left a trail of 840 metres. By the evening one person, a 34 year old French ski patroller who had been helping a skier, had been confirmed dead and another three confirmed to have suffered minor injuries. The man, who was seriously injured, died in hospital.

Source: Valais Police

What makes this avalanche unusual is that it happened on a piste that was open.

Pierre Huguenin, a local avalanche expert, described the avalanche as exceptional and told RTS that exceptional events can never be excluded, while reminding skiers to follow all safety advice and understand that avalanche risk increases as the day progresses due to rising temperatures.

According to a spokesperson from the cantonal police the search has now finished. 244 people and 8 helicopters were involved in the overnight search. In addition, local police went through carparks to identify abandoned vehicles to identify any missing people.

Investigations are now underway to understand what triggered the avalanche.

More on this:
Valais police report (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now

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Swiss man arrested in connection with murder of Scandinavian tourists in Morocco has long criminal record

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A Swiss man arrested in Morocco in connection with the brutal murder of two Scandinavian tourists has a criminal record and is suspected of being radicalised, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes.

© Oleksandr Ryzhkov | Dreamstime.com

The man from Geneva has a criminal record for crimes committed between 2007 and 2013. His crimes include drug offenses, theft, burglary, property damage, aggression and domestic violence.

A Fedpol spokesperson confirmed information published by Tribune de Geneve, that the man had left Switzerland and moved to Morocco in 2015.

Moroccan authorities suspect the man, a dual national of Switzerland and Spain, of being indoctrinated by idealogical extremism and taking part in the recruitment of Moroccan citizens and individuals from sub Saharan Africa to plan terrorist attacks in Morocco, said the newspaper.

Swiss federal authorities are in close contact with authorities in Morocco, Spain, Denmark and Norway.

More on this:
20 Minutes article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now

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Swiss adds new summer destinations from Geneva

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From 22 June 2019, Swiss will add five new destinations from Geneva.

© Olga Buiacova | Dreamstime.com

Brindisi in Puglia, the Portuguese city of Faro, the Greek island of Mykonos, and Alicante and Ibiza in Spain will all be served directly from Geneva.

This will bring the airline’s total direct destinations from Geneva to 42.

Flights to these new destinations will only be available over the summer from late June until of the end of August or October, depending on the destination.

In response to the expansion of its network, Swiss is introducing six new Airbus A220-300 (Bombardier CS300) aircraft and two new Airbus A220-100 (Bombardier CS100) planes.

In addition, the expansion will create around twenty new jobs.

More on this:
Swiss press release (in English) – Take a 5 minute French test now

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Flying more than 10% of Switzerland’s greenhouse gas

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More than 10% of greenhouse gas emitted by Switzerland comes from flying, according to data from the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).

© Tuayai _ Dreamstime.com

Overall, Switzerland’s greenhouse gas emissions were nearly 10% lower in 2016 than they were in 1990. However, the trend in flight emissions was the opposite, rising by 68% since 1990.

The 10.7% share of greenhouse gas attributed to international flights in Switzerland in 2016 was less than that from cars (23.5%), industry (10.3%), industrial processes (8.5%), households (18.4%) and agriculture (12.4%), but higher than those from trucks (3.7%), burning waste to generate electricity (4.4%) and disposal of other rubbish (1.6%).

Aviation’s share of emissions is relatively high in Switzerland compared to the rest of the world. Figures from the European Commission show a world average of 2% and an EU average of 3%.

More on this:
FOEN press release (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now

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New long-haul budget airline from Basel launches fundraising

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The idea is simple. Keep costs low by flying point-to-point, thus avoiding costly hubs, use one model of aircraft to contain pilot and aircraft maintenance costs, and charge passengers for everything from coffee to checked-in luggage. Southwest Airlines was first to launch the model and copycats like EasyJet followed.

First transatlantic flight of an Airbus A321LR © Airbus

Now a new, yet to be named, airline plans to apply the same model to direct flights from Basel-Mulhouse to cities in North America, with flights to the Caribbean, Asia, the Middle East and Brazil from several continental european airports to follow.

The venture, using the working title “Swiss Skies” headed by a pilot and three industry veterans, launched its bid to raise US$ 100 million in Basel this week, with plans to launch in the second half of 2019.

The airline plans to focus on connecting secondary catchment areas in Europe, such as Basel, to far flung destinations, cutting 30% off flight times on some routes.

Co-founder, Alvaro Oliveira, a Swiss national, pilot and former director of flight operations at Azul Airlines said: “direct long-haul flights are missing in regional areas. Several secondary catchments are only connected via major hubs. Many transfer passengers are tired of needing to connect via big hubs in Europe or USA.”

The launch comes just weeks after the collapse of SkyWork airline, an airline that served European destinations from Bern.

And, the Berlin-based airline Air Berlin ceased operations in October last year.

In addition, Norwegian Air Shuttle, an airline operating long-haul point-to-point routes between Europe and the US and Asia, made a loss of around CHF 215 million in 2017 before making it back into the black in the first half of 2018, when it made half-year profit of around CHF 30 million.

Swiss Skies has chosen the Airbus A321LR plane as its only aircraft. The business plan forecasts 16 of them by the second year and 38 by the fourth. Airbus says the long range (LR) version of this aircraft can fly 7,400km when fitted with an extra fuel tank. This would get it from Basel to New York but not to Miami.

Swiss Skies’ business plan forecasts 45 destinations across five continents, 1,900 employees and revenues of US$ 1.5 billion within five years. Profitability is forecast in year three.

Airlines however, are risky businesses with high fixed costs, which like oil prices, can be hard to predict.

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