‘ARMAVIA’ ATTRACTS SWISS PASSENGERS BY EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT AND ACCURACY

ArmInfo
2009-06-15 16:51:00

Armavia attracts Swiss passengers by effective management and accuracy,
Director of General Sales Agent of Armavia in Switzerland – AirPass
company, Roland Buhler, says.

It is still early to say that Armavia is perceived as a brand in
Switzerland, but he thinks that Armavia has effective management
and flight control. The planes always arrive in time, and the Swiss
passengers pay special attention to this. Armavia has become a brand
among the Armenian community in Switzerland, Buhler said. To recall, on
30 March 2009 Armavia opened a direct flight Yerevan-Zurich-Yerevan,
which is currently the only direct flight between Armenia and
Switzerland. There are several target groups in the Swiss market,
particularly, the Diaspora Armenians (about 5 thsd in Switzerland),
business clients, tourists who should familiarize themselves with
a new direction – Armenia. Transit passengers are also an important
group as Armavia made Zurich one of its transit centers, the AirPass
director said.

Initially the company is going to inform around 2.5 thsd travel
agencies of Switzerland of the new route of Armavia. Afterwards
the information will be disseminated among Armenian organizations
in Switzerland. Then a trip to Armenia will be organized for
Swiss journalists. AirPass will familiarize them with Armavia’s
activity, as well as with Armenia as an attractive country and a new
travel direction. He thinks about 2 mln Swiss readers will read the
journalists’ publications. According to him, Armenia also may interest
Switzerland as a transit point for visits of Swiss tourists.

Speaking of the forecasts on the growth in flow of passengers,
Buhler recalled that in 2008 when there was no direct flight between
the two countries, 3.5 thsd people came to Armenia from Switzerland
by air. It is difficult to specify the practical "ceiling": when
Swissair carried out a regular flight between Zurich and Yerevan,
the number of passengers amounted to 6 thsd per year. Buhler said
that the company intends to gradually increase the flow of passengers.