Helvetic Airways (2L, Zurich) restarted scheduled operations on July 5, 2020, although initially, the Swiss carrier will operate a minimal number of flights on leisure routes as well as to the Balkans.

The carrier's initial network will include services from Bern to Palma de Mallorca, as well as from Zurich to Ohrid and Pristina. The first flight to Mallorca was operated with E190 HB-JVS (msn 19000265), Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows.

"Things are slowly starting to happen again, but it's still very unclear just how much demand there is for air travel. We will need to be very flexible and very responsive if we are to provide stable and profitable flight operations. Against this background, we are assuming that we will be able to gradually increase capacity over the next few months thanks to a destination offering that is adapted to the current conditions. In July, 20-30% of our capacity is used regularly, and we will continuously increase it in late summer," Chief Executive Tobias Pogorevc said.

The airline took delivery of a further two E190-E2s in late June and early July but said that it had deferred the arrival of the remaining seven of the type which is now scheduled for 2021.

According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Helvetic Airways currently operates eight E190s (including one active, six stored, and one on repair after a ground collision) and five E190-E2s. It has yet to resume wet-lease operations on behalf of Swiss (LX, Zurich), its core business before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Helvetic Airways confirmed that it would start operating on behalf of virtual carrier flyBAIR (Bern) on July 18, flying from Berne and Sion to Palma during the first phase. One of the airline's E190s will be based out of Berne for the summer season.