Between the start of June and July 10, nearly half the flights leaving Zurich Airport were delayed by more than 15 minutes. Airport authorities have blamed the disruption on the weather and operational issues in Switzerland and abroad.

Nearly half of flights from Zurich took off late over summer

Between June 1 and July 10, 46 percent of aircraft leaving Zurich took off 15 minutes later than they should have, 6 percent more than during the same period three years ago. According to a report by news outlet AWP, passengers have had to wait an extra 40 minutes on average before their flights departed.

48 percent of services from SWISS, the largest operator out of Zurich Airport, were delayed. Polish airline LOT had the most frequent issues, with 78 percent of flights having to wait on the tarmac for longer than scheduled. 

School summer holidays bring disruption to Swiss airports

Other international airlines like Air Canada, Aer Lingus, Air Serbia and SunExpress have also seen the majority of their flights delayed, in some cases for hours. Iberia, Air Europa, Qatar Airways, Croatia Airlines and Edelweiss Airways were the most on-time, with delay rates of between 17 and 30,7 percent. 

While delays during the school summer holidays are to be expected in airports around the world, the situation this year has been made worse by the end of the COVID pandemic and the staff shortages that have followed. Many airlines, like SWISS, have been forced to delay and cancel flights during the summer, with many more cancellations planned between August and October.

Passengers in Switzerland encouraged to arrive early to airports

A spokesperson for Zurich Airport said that “it’s pretty much impossible to make predictions about delays because we’re internationally dependent.” They said that most flights were delayed due to operational, technical or weather-related reasons. Many delays in Switzerland were also caused by late arrivals from airports in Europe.

Zurich Airport recommended that travellers arrive up to three hours before their scheduled departure during the summer holidays. Those travelling to the airport are encouraged to sign up for regular flight updates with their airline or the airport itself, to see if their flight is delayed or cancelled.