Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss is cutting its fuel surcharges by CHF7 on European flights and CHF30 “per sector,” effective today, 13 January. European surcharges fall to CHF29 and longhaul to CHF114.

The company says that the surcharge rates are being reduced despite somewhat volatile fuel markets because “the prices of crude oil and jet fuel have seen further decline.” Tickets must be issued today or after to benefit from the price cuts. Tel Aviv and Cairo flights are included in the European surcharge reductions.

Swiss will add four non-stop daily flights between Zurich and Lyons, France, to its summer schedule which starts 29 March, the company announced last week.

Its parent company, Lufthansa, announced Monday that Swiss finished 2008 with a 10.3% increase in the number of passengers it carried compared to 2007, for a total of 13.5 million. Its seats were filled to 80.3% but figures for December 2008 show a drop.

The number of flights offered also rose, with an additional 360 flights a day on average, a 6% increase.