SWISS, Switzerland's flag carrier, inaugurated its first flight from Zurich to Malta this afternoon.

MIA's Fire and Rescueteam celebrated the event with a water arch display welcoming the start of the airline's first summer at the airport.

The crew and passengers on board the inaugural flight were greeted with flowers and a cake-cutting ceremony in thepresence of Malta Tourism Authority CEO Paul Bugeja, Malta International Airport CEO Alan Borg and Regional Manager Malta and Italy for SWISS International Air Lines Stefan Zwicky.

"SWISS is the fifth new airline to have been welcomed by MIA this year. This is another testament to the hard work of allstakeholders involved, as we strive towards another record year. Connectivity is a crucial element for our passengers and SWISS offers great opportunities in this respect because it adds us to a network that includes destinations like New York,Bangkok and many others," said MIA CEO Alan Borg.

The new flight operating from Malta will further enhance connections to the airline's main hub, Zurich Airport. SWISS flies to more than 100 destinations in 49 countries: 80 in Europe and 26 overseas. SWISS is part of the Lufthansa group and also a member of the Star Alliance, the world's largest global airline alliance.

SWISS's Stefan Zwicky declared the airline's pride at connecting with one of Switzerland's preferred Mediterranean destinations. "I am very proud that Malta is being included in SWISS's network starting today. I am convinced that thanks to our offer the traffic flow between both countries will intensify and facilitate the economic and cultural exchange between them."

MTA CEO Paul Bugeja said: "The decision by another legacy airline, SWISS to add Malta to its portfolio of destinations is a very positive one and is well received by the Malta Tourism Authority. To us, it provides concrete proof that Malta is continuing to widen its appeal and attractiveness to different tourism segments as a result of its continued development as a year round quality tourism destination."

SWISS's first flight today will be followed by weekly flights operating every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday this summer.