Airport Chaos: Severe Delays Plague Summer Travel at a Swiss Airport
Summer 2025 has seen a significant increase in air traffic across Europe and Switzerland, with Switzerland’s major international airports operating at or above pre-pandemic levels. This surge in travel has led to ongoing challenges with flight delays at Geneva and Zurich airports, as well as at the EuroAirport in Basel, located in the French community of Saint-Louis.
Despite efforts to manage the impact, both Geneva and Zurich airports are facing heightened risks of flight delays and disruptions. The main cause of these delays at the EuroAirport can be traced back to understaffing in the air traffic control tower, a consequence of a recent reorganization by the French Civil Aviation Authority.
At Geneva Airport, significant delays were experienced at the beginning of July, with some flights delayed up to three hours due to French air traffic control strikes on the 3rd and 4th. However, measures have been implemented to improve passenger flow, such as allowing check-in from 4 a.m. and installing self-service baggage check-in equipment. Geneva serves 125 destinations with 48 airlines and expects nearly 1.7 million passengers over the busy summer months, further increasing pressure on operations.
Zurich Airport, the country’s largest and busiest, has also been impacted, particularly for flights that had to fly over France during the same strike events. To mitigate delays amid high summer traffic, Zurich has introduced additional staff, a camera system to monitor aircraft preparation delays in real time, and an operational planning system to optimize throughput.
The situation at Zurich airport has since normalised, and delays at this airport are not worse than usual during the summer. However, the EuroAirport in Basel continues to experience frequent flight delays, with average delays between 20 and 30 minutes, and some flights taking off over an hour late. The EuroAirport officials have stated that the situation will remain tense due to the difficulty in quickly filling the new positions, given the time required to train new air traffic controllers, estimated to be around 2 years.
The Basler Zeitung reports that the delays at the EuroAirport are not a new issue, as they have been ongoing. Despite this, both Geneva and Zurich airports are actively implementing measures to improve passenger handling and reduce delay impacts.
While the situation remains challenging, it is important to note that Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) delays, on average, are around 4.4 minutes per flight on the network level, up 12% from the previous week but down 46% compared to 2024. This reflects some improvement despite traffic growth, with Geneva experiencing delays impacting 34 flights on one recent day, showing ongoing operational stress.
In conclusion, increased summer traffic and external factors like air traffic control strikes in neighbouring France are contributing to ongoing challenges with flight delays at Switzerland’s major international airports. However, airports are actively implementing measures to improve passenger handling and reduce delay impacts. Passengers are advised to check their flight status before travel and allow extra time for potential delays.
Travelers planning to visit Switzerland during summer 2025 may face potential flight disruptions due to increased air traffic and ongoing staffing issues at certain airports. Despite recent measures to enhance passenger flow and reduce delays, the EuroAirport in Basel continues to experience frequent flight delays, averaging between 20 and 30 minutes, with some flights taking off over an hour late.
