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Swiss airlines makes Covid vaccination compulsory for pilots and cabin crew

All cabin crew - including pilots and stewards - flying on Swiss airlines must get vaccinated for Covid after the flagship carrier updated its rules.

Swiss airlines makes Covid vaccination compulsory for pilots and cabin crew
A Swiss plane parked at Zurich airport. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Switzerland’s flagship carrier, Swiss airlines, will require all of its cabin crew and pilots to be vaccinated against Covid. 

The airline announced that it will introduce this rule from November 15th, “because of the regulations in force in various countries around the world, which increasingly require a compulsory vaccine for crews”.

The airline said it would become too difficult to organise crews on the basis of ground rules in respective countries. 

UPDATED: Who can travel to Switzerland right now?

“The different handling of vaccinated and unvaccinated crew members and the associated high complexity of operational planning would mean that orderly flight operations could no longer be ensured in the long term,” reads the press release. 

Hong Kong is the first destination in the Swiss network to require proof of vaccination for crews from certain countries, including for flights from Switzerland.

“It is important that we take measures now that allow us to preserve our global network while fulfilling our duty to protect our employees”, said the company’s CEO Dieter Vranckx.

Airlines have been one of the hardest hit industries as a result of the Covid pandemic. 

The decision has been understood by airline crews, who indicated they would have preferred the requirement remain voluntary. 

“This is a decision that is lawful and anchored in the GAV,” says Sandrine Nikolic-Fuss to Swiss news outlet 20 Minutes

“We would have liked the vaccination to remain voluntary, but we can understand that it would not have been possible in many countries because of its applicability.”

While some pilots have indicated they would have preferred to be consulted on the issue, the pilot union was similarly understanding. 

UPDATED: Can you be fired in Switzerland if you refuse the Covid-19 vaccine?

“We would have liked to have talked to us beforehand about the consequences for employees who do not want or cannot be vaccinated. You don’t know what to expect now,” said Henning Hoffmann, managing director of the Aeropers pilots’ association. 

While we feel vaccination “should remain voluntary in principle, but the decision is understandable in view of the restrictions in many countries.”

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Closure of A13 motorway: The alternative routes from Switzerland to Italy

As summer school break in many Swiss cantons is about to begin, your plans to drive south for the holidays may be seriously disrupted by the closure of one of the main routes between Switzerland and Italy.

Closure of A13 motorway: The alternative routes from Switzerland to Italy

Italy is one of the most favourite summer destinations for many Swiss families: not only is it geographically close enough to get there by car, but it also has abundance of beaches and good weather is almost guaranteed.

But driving to Italy this summer, especially in the next few weeks, will be no simple matter.

Recent massive thunderstorms unleashed a landslide of mud and rubble, which destroyed a part of the north-south axis of the A13 motorway.

The collapsed section, between Thusis (GR) and Bellinzona (TI), is an important throughway for both passenger and commercial traffic, as it connects Switzerland with Italy.

The San Bernardino Pass, which straddles the A13, is consequently closed to traffic, as are the impacted parts of the motorway.

They will remain closed ‘until further notice,’ which is a general and non-specific term — primarily because nobody knows for sure.

According to the Graubünden cantonal police, this section will remain out of service “for months,” while the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) said it expects “to be able to reopen the A13 in three to four weeks.” 

But even this slightly more optimistic forecast is not definite.

Roads will reopen within this timeframe “only under the assumption that there will be no ‘nasty surprises,’ according to FEDRO. “The clean-up work and reconstruction depends, among other things, on the weather.”

Either way, if you are heading south in the immediate future, expect, as Swiss media reported, “impending traffic chaos.”

To make matters worse, the cantonal road, which is normally used as an alternative, was also damaged by the storm, and is closed to transit and through traffic in both directions.

What alternative south-bound routes are there?

FEDRO recommends the Gotthard route — either via the tunnel or the Pass.

There are other options as well, though they will take longer:

In Switzerland:

  • Over the Oberalp and Lukmanier passes
  • Over the Julier and Maloja passes
  • Over the Albula and Bernina passes via Poschiavo
  • Over the Grimsel and Nufenen passes
  • Through the Lötschberg car transport and the Simplon pass
  • From the Brünig pass road via Grimsel and Simplon
  • Via Martigny over the Great St. Bernard

Alternative routes abroad, for which fees may apply:

  • Via South Tyrol
  • Via Geneva through the Mont Blanc tunnel
  • Via Geneva, Annecy and the Fréjus tunnel

Will you be able to avoid traffic jams on these alternate routes?

It is highly doubtful.

During the holiday season, there is almost always congestion and bottlenecks in front of the Gotthard Tunnel, the Great St. Bernard, and the Lötschberg.

Traffic could be lighter if you avoid peak travel hours and weekends, but don’t expect miracles.

You can find real-time information about traffic jams and road conditions here:

TCS

strassen.gr.ch

Should you travel by train instead?

It is always a good idea if you want to reduce your carbon footprint, and trains are typically a more relaxing and reliable way to travel.

Except this summer.

From June 9th, and for at least three months, the train service between Italian cities of Domodossola and Milan will be interrupted due to railway works, also disrupting travel between western Switzerland and Italy.

A bus service set up by Swiss national railway company, SBB, will run between the two cities, adding at least an hour to the trip in the best traffic conditions.

But train traffic to and from other countries — including France, Germany, and Austria — will be chaotic as well.

You can find more information about these disruptions here:

READ ALSO: Why you should not rely on trains to and from Switzerland this summer 

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