Swiss International Airlines resumed flights out of Hong Kong last week, carrying passengers to Zurich, and Lufthansa is due to follow, the airline group said.

Flight LX139 left Hong Kong at 11:45pm on June 3, becoming the first Lufthansa Group Airline passenger flight since the end of March.

Lufthansa will resume flights between Hong Kong and Frankfurt at the beginning of July.

SWISS has scheduled two weekly flights this month, leaving Hong Kong on Wednesday and Sunday, while flights from Zurich (LX138) will leave Tuesday and Saturday at 1:10pm and arrive in Hong Kong at 7:00am the next day. SWISS is operating its flagship, a Boeing 777-300 on flights to and from Hong Kong. The cabin configuration offers customers first, business and economy class.

“We are more than happy being able to connect Hong Kong with Europe again,'' says Veli Polat, head of Lufthansa Group Sales for mainland China and Hong Kong. “It is the first step of what hopefully will be a return to normalcy for SWISS, our Lufthansa Group Airlines and aviation in general. In doing this we will continue to be committed to uphold the highest hygienic and safety standards for the health and the well-being of our customers.“

Rolf Frei, Switzerland’s Consul General in Hong Kong and Macao, said it is an important signal that SWISS is resuming operations to and from Hong Kong.

“We are grateful to the authorities for making these flights possible – Hong Kong is among the top trading partners of Switzerland,“ Mr Frei, said. “Connecting both economies and its people again without compromising any health concerns is something we’ve all been looking forward to.“

SWISS says flights are subject to entry regulations from both, Switzerland and Hong Kong.