National Airline Will No Longer Fly to Capital After Dispute With Government

Switzerland's national airline has thumbed its nose at the country's politicians by withdrawing all flights from the federal capital, Berne, just months after being refused any more state aid.

The cash-strapped carrier announced yesterday that it was cutting its network from 96 destinations to 71 by October.

The most eye-catching omission will be the alpine city of Berne, Switzerland's seat of government since 1848, famous for its history of bear pits, its art collections and cobbled squares.

Last month Swiss, which emerged last year from the ashes of bankrupt Swissair, said it was looking for SFr500m (£225m) of new investment. To the dismay of its management, the Swiss government said it was not prepared to offer any further subsidy.

Richard Castle, Swiss's UK general manager, said: "I might be tempted to think it's a bit strange that the Swiss national airline is abandoning the capital."

But he insisted the decision was practical, rather than political. Only smaller aircraft are able to use the airport, and the city is within a couple of hours' drive of bigger terminals at Zurich and Basel.

Swiss's intercontinental network is to be cut by a quarter, with services to Rio, Lagos, Beijing and Delhi among the casualties. Within Europe, its destinations will be reduced from 56 to 41.

Flights from London City airport to Basel and Geneva are to cease, and the fleet is to be cut from 108 to 79 planes.