On June 2, Edelweiss, a Swiss leisure airline, launched its inaugural flight from Zurich to Seattle. This marks the first time Edelweiss has flown this route, following the return of SAS from Copenhagen on May 21. SAS had not operated flights to Seattle since 2009. With these additions, there are now 12 passenger airlines connecting Washington State's airport with Europe, the highest number since 2023. Alaska Airlines is set to join this list next year with its first route to Rome.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport now offers nonstop flights to 11 European airports for the first time. These destinations include Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dublin, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Istanbul (on the European side of the Bosphorus), Keflavik, London Heathrow, Munich, Paris CDG, and Zurich. According to Cirium Diio data, up to 18 daily flights will depart from Seattle for Europe during the summer.
Edelweiss operates twice-weekly summer seasonal flights from Zurich until September 15 using a 314-seat Airbus A340-300. This aircraft is unique as it is increasingly uncommon and will be the only A340 operating in Seattle this summer. However, Lufthansa plans to use this type in winter. The Zurich-Seattle route ranks as the world's 13th-longest A340 route.