Swiss airports see 50% fewer passengers than pre-pandemic
Amid flight cancellations and coronavirus related travel restrictions, Swiss airports are expecting half the number of passengers over the holidays than before the pandemic. This is still more traffic than in 2020.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/jdp
Flight hubs of Geneva, Zurich and Basel have all reported more activity than last year but are seeing more people cancel or postpone trips amid more concerns about the Omicron variant and more stringent entry requirements in some countries. Some airlines have also been forced to cancel flights because of fewer bookings and a shortage of personnel.
Geneva Cointrin airport expects Sunday to be its busiest day with around 33,000 passengers passing through the airport. “This is half of the normal traffic before the pandemic,” said Ignace Jeannerat, spokesperson for Geneva Airport, interviewed by Swiss media agency Keystone-ATS. On Christmas Day, which is typically the quietest, some 18,000 people should depart or arrive in Geneva according to the forecast.
Switzerland is particularly affected by fewer travelers from the UK who come for skiing. Flights from the UK to Geneva have around 35% fewer passengers than usual. British Airways has cancelled all flights to and from Basel-Mulhouse until the end of the year.
At Zurich airport, nearly 34,000 passengers are expected every day during Christmas week. In 2020, there were half this many. However, this is still a fraction of what was recorded in 2019 when about 85,000 passengers passed through Zurich airport.
Basel-Mulhouse Euroairport expects 40% of the 2019 traffic during the holidays.
According to the airports, waiting times at airports remain limited despite additional checks for test results or vaccinations that are required by different governments.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Politics
Swiss reject plans for bigger motorways and extra rights for landlords
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
Swiss national among five survivors rescued after tourist yacht sank in Egypt’s Red Sea
This content was published on
Egyptian naval forces rescued five people on Tuesday, including a Swiss citizen, and recovered four bodies, a day after a tourist yacht carrying 44 passengers sank in the Red Sea.
Swiss authorities complete 75% of foreign criminal expulsion orders
This content was published on
Swiss courts ordered the expulsion of 2,250 foreign offenders in 2023. By mid-2024, around 73% of them had left Switzerland, either voluntarily or under police escort.
Initiative launched for tougher environmental rules for Swiss financial industry
This content was published on
An alliance of political parties and business and environmental groups has launched a people's initiative calling for stricter environmental rules for the Swiss finance sector.
Explosion at Geneva apartment building leaves young girl seriously injured
This content was published on
A young girl was seriously injured on November 25 after an explosion in an apartment building in the Grange-Canal district of Geneva, the Office of the Attorney General of Geneva has confirmed.
Thawing permafrost threatens dozens of mountain huts in Switzerland
This content was published on
Over one-third of Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) mountain huts could be unstable in the future due to thawing permafrost, according to a study.
Swiss study finds language distorts ChatGPT information on armed conflicts
This content was published on
Millions of people engage with and seek information from ChatGPT and other large language models. But how are the responses given by these models shaped by the language in which they are asked?
This content was published on
The Swiss public has named the robin as Bird of the Year 2025. With its familiar red breast and distinctive song, the robin is one of the most common bird species in Switzerland, found in gardens and forests.
Authorities underestimated severe weather risks in southern Switzerland
This content was published on
Violent storms hit the Misox valley in southern Switzerland in June, causing severe damage and two fatalities. New analysis, presented on Monday, shows that authorities underestimated some of the dangers.
Switzerland and Italy announce closer police and migration cooperation
This content was published on
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and his Swiss counterpart, Beat Jans, met in the border town of Chiasso in southern Switzerland on Monday.
This content was published on
Geneva police carried out a major operation in the east of the city on Monday, following reports that a parcel bomb had exploded in an apartment building and injured one person.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
SWISS reviews job cuts among flight staff
This content was published on
Swiss International Air Lines has offered to re-employ more than half of the 550 flying personnel it had sacked earlier this year.
This content was published on
Swiss International Air Lines will make fewer pandemic-related job cuts than feared following consultations with staff and trade unions.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.