Half of flights delayed at Zurich Airport

by
Swissinfo
My articles My booksMy videos
Follow on:TwitterFacebookGoogle +

Dreaming of being on holiday Keystone / John G. Mabanglo

Almost every second flight from Zurich Airport has been delayed since the beginning of June, with travellers facing more delays this summer.

Between June 1 and July 10 an average of 46% of aircraft took off from Zurich with a delay of more than 15 minutes, according to an analysis by the news agency AWP. On average, passengers had to wait around 40 minutes.

Most delays were of an operational, technical or weather-related nature, said an airport spokeswoman.

Among the airlines that operated more than 50 departures during this period, passengers of the Polish airline LOT had their patience tested the most: almost 78% of flights were delayed. Air Canada, SunExpress, Scandinavian, Aer Lingus and Air Serbia also recorded delay rates of over 60%.

At SWISS, which operates the most commercial flights at Zurich Airport, the figure was around 48%.

+ Flight delays and cancellations – passenger rights External link

The most punctual airlines included Iberia (17%), Air Europa (20%), Qatar Airways (25%), Croatia Airlines (29.9%) and Edelweiss (30.7%).

Covid effect

Increased delays during the peak season is normal – there are significantly more flights in summer than at the beginning of the year – but the fact that many airlines and service providers have reduced capacities due to the Covid-19 crisis is now taking its toll.

As recently as 2019 around 40% of departures were delayed at their peak in June, which is around six percentage points fewer than at present. Over the whole year, the delay rate was just under 29%.

In addition, flights are being cut. SWISS and many other European airlines have had to cancel hundreds of flights in the summer, mainly because of a lack of staff. Since the beginning of June, 632 out of a total of 25,030 arrivals and departures have been cancelled at Zurich Airport across all airlines.

The technical hitch at air traffic control system Skyguide resulted in almost 100 flights cancelled a day. On June 15, Swiss air traffic was paralysed for hours owing to a network error at air traffic control. The next breakdown followed about two weeks later: the failure of a globally used system for flight handling caused longer waiting times.

“Unfortunately, it’s pretty much impossible to make predictions about delays because we’re internationally dependent,” the spokeswoman said. However, it can be assumed that the delay rate will be relatively higher this summer.

The airport recommends that during the peak travel season travellers arrive up to three hours before departure.

You Might Also Like

Immigration only partially alleviates lack of skilled workers

2022-07-09

The Swiss economy has recovered well from the Covid-19 crisis, but despite the free movement of people agreement with the EU, some sectors are struggling to recruit qualified staff, says a government report.

Ukraine war hits supplies of food packaging material

2022-05-30

Switzerland is considering emergency stockpiling of plastic packaging as the Ukraine war brings a world shortage of packaging material, reports the NZZ am Sonntag.

Absurdist pop pioneer Yello wins Swiss music prize

2022-05-14

The Swiss electronic duo Yello – Dieter Meier and Boris Blank – will receive the Grand Prix Music 2022, presented by the Federal Office of Culture and worth CHF100,000 ($100,400).

Stop organic farming to help future food crisis, says Syngenta boss

2022-05-09

Erik Fyrwald, the CEO of the Swiss agrochemicals group Syngenta, has called for an end to organic farming to avoid a worsening food crisis. The president of the Swiss Small Farmers’ Association meanwhile dismissed his arguments as “grotesque”.

Historians trace Elon Musk’s Swiss roots to Emmental

2022-05-05

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has roots in a small, picturesque farming region in central Switzerland. Using genealogy websites and local archives, historians have been able to connect Musk with the Haldimann name, which is still present in the Emmental region today.

Switzerland approves CHF80 million in emergency aid for Ukraine

2022-03-13

The Swiss government has boosted its humanitarian support to victims of the war in Ukraine. On Friday it approved CHF80 million ($86 million) as an “expression of its solidarity with Ukrainians in need”.

Swiss parliament paves way for genome editing

2022-03-09

The Swiss parliament has decided to ease restrictions on genetic engineering in agriculture, while extending in principle a moratorium for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) until 2025.

Swiss emergency relief supplies arrive in Ukraine

2022-03-08

Around 35 tonnes of emergency aid, including medical equipment and tents, sent from Switzerland to help victims of the war in Ukraine have arrived in the capital, Kyiv.