BRITISH Airways is launching a new direct route between Manchester and Zurich on Sunday. The twice-daily service will operate on a 49-seat Embraer 145 regional jet. The early morning departure from Manchester and return flight at 7pm from Zurich will allow business travellers a full day in the Swiss city. The flight, operated by British Airways CitiExpress, the wholly-owned British Airways regional subsidiary, will provide Club Europe and EuroTraveller service. Mike Bathgate, commercial general manager of BA CitiExpress, said: "It is an excellent opportunity to develop our Manchester route network, with the new route complementing our existing scheduled Geneva service."