Woman fined after sneaking onto flight from Zurich to Amsterdam

A woman has been fined 500 francs by the police, after she managed to sneak onto a flight from Zurich to Amsterdam. It comes as new data reveals that the number of people managing to sneak into Swiss airports is on the rise.

Woman tries to board a flight in Zurich without a ticket...twice

According to a recently revealed report from the Federal Office of Civil Aviation, the incident occurred in June 2024. The woman in question was able to gain “unauthorised entry into the security” area past the barriers and into the passenger section of the terminal.

After security, she was able to actually board a flight from Zurich to Amsterdam by "quickly walking past the counter when the employee in question had briefly turned away from the boarding pass check." She was only found out when the cabin crew did a headcount and discovered they were housing a stowaway.

Amazingly, despite being caught, the woman tried the same trick again a few weeks later. This time she was able to rush the security barriers as another passenger was being scanned through, gaining access to the airside of the airport, but was stopped before she boarded the plane. In this case, she told the emergency services that she wanted to visit a friend in Barcelona. In the end, the authorities issued her with a fine totalling 500 francs.

Increasing number of people sneaking into airside at Zurich

This is not the only time that security at Zurich has been breached. Another person, under the influence of alcohol, also managed to gain access to the concourse. "He wanted to conduct an experiment and test whether it was as easy to fly without a ticket as it was to travel by train," Zurich Airport spokesperson Bettina Kunz told SRF.

According to the broadcaster, there has been a marked increase in people getting past the barriers at Zurich Airport. There was a single case reported in 2023, four in 2024, and there have been four cases in 2025 so far. For Kunz, the rising numbers reflect the fact that while incidents are increasing, new sensors and cameras mean they can be better detected.

Sneak-ins are not a security risk, Zurich Airport assures

For Zurich Airport, the increase in the number of sneak-ins does not pose a safety risk, as while they may be able to outwit the barriers at the entrance and the gate, it is impossible to access airside without going through security. “These cases are concerning us, but they must be seen in perspective. Last year, almost eleven million passengers flew from Zurich," Kunz concluded.

While there is no evidence to suggest that anyone has successfully flown out of Switzerland without a ticket, it is not unheard of. In 2024, a man successfully flew from Munich to Sweden without a boarding pass, as did a woman from New York to Paris.