CALGARY, AB--(Marketwired - May 29, 2016) - Edelweiss returned to the Alberta landscape Sunday, May 29, with the inaugural flight of its non-stop seasonal service from Calgary International Airport (YYC) to Zurich. The service from the Swiss airline is a result of close cooperation between The Calgary Airport Authority and its many tourism partners such as the Government of Alberta, Travel Alberta, Tourism Calgary, and Banff and Lake Louise Tourism.

Edelweiss will operate twice-weekly from June to September with an Airbus 330 adding nearly 600 seats a week into the Calgary market, aligning with YYC's strategic plan to create more connections for Albertans across the world.

"Inbound tourism is a continued area of focus for the Airport Authority as it works to grow Calgary's route network so that the beautiful Province of Alberta can be enjoyed by visitors from around the world," said Stephan Poirier, Senior Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer for The Calgary Airport Authority. "And as a driver of economic development, the Airport Authority understands that this new service represents a boost for the Calgary and Alberta economy with thousands of European visitors coming to the region and a significant amount of tourism dollars being spent."

Edelweiss is a Swiss leisure carrier; its sister operator is Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS), the principal hub airline at Zurich Airport. Edelweiss formerly operated out of Calgary until 2012 and this is currently its second Canadian destination.

In addition to being Switzerland's leading leisure airline, Edelweiss offers customers a unique flight experience: "Besides the travel comfort offered in all of our travel classes, we place strong emphasis on providing attentive service and Swiss product quality. This is how we make sure our passengers can start enjoying their holiday from the moment they board an Edelweiss aircraft," said Alain Chisari, Chief Commercial Officer and Member of the Management Board for Edelweiss.

ABOUT THE CALGARY AIRPORT AUTHORITY

The Calgary Airport Authority is a not-for-profit organization incorporated under the Regional Airports Authorities Act of Alberta. The Calgary Airport Authority is responsible for the management, operation and development of Calgary International (YYC) and Springbank (YBW) Airports. YYC is an important economic engine for the city, region and province, welcoming 15.48 million passengers in 2015, supporting more than 48,000 jobs and generating more than $8 billion per annum in economic activity.

Twitter: @FlyYYC

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