The most intense weeks of the year are coming up at Zurich Airport: What do passengers need to be aware of?

With the start of school holidays in the first cantons, passenger numbers at Zurich Airport also increase. July and August are the busiest months. Busiest times are on weekends. During the summer, the 100,000 passenger mark per day is regularly exceeded.

The airport expects the busiest weekend this year to be July 19 and 20, partly because many people will be returning from vacation. Last year, July 26 was the busiest day.

In general, it can be said that passenger numbers have returned to pre-coronavirus levels this year. This is not yet entirely the case for flight movements.

Airlines recommend arriving at the airport between two and three hours before departure to allow sufficient time for check-in and security screening. These times may be generous during normal times, but during peak holiday season, the timing may vary depending on the day.

When checking in, it's a good idea to do this online before your trip. This is usually possible starting 23 hours before departure. Those traveling with only hand luggage can then proceed to the gate with their boarding pass on their phone. Those who want to check in their luggage can also check in online.

However, you'll also need to print a label at a machine at the airport and place your luggage on a conveyor belt yourself at Bag Drop . Please note: Self-bag drop isn't available with all airlines and isn't available 24/7.

Liquids (including creams, etc.) may still only be carried in hand luggage in containers of no more than 100 milliliters – in a resealable 1-liter plastic bag. Slightly larger quantities are also permitted for medications and baby food.

However, rechargeable batteries, power banks, and electronic cigarettes are not permitted in your luggage. They must be carried in your hand luggage.

Starting in October, Zurich Airport will begin installing CT scanners. These devices, two of which are currently in use for testing purposes, are intended to shorten waiting times . The reason: passengers will no longer have to remove electronic devices and liquids from their hand luggage for screening.

Passengers can obtain information about their flight by clicking on the destination in the departure list on Zurich Airport's website. In addition to the recommended arrival time in Kloten, there is also the option to "save" a flight and receive information about delays, boarding times, or gate schedules via WhatsApp.

The reasons for flight delays are varied and can only be partially influenced, for example, if congestion at other airports affects operations in Zurich. Events such as strikes can also exacerbate the situation – for example, on Thursday, when air traffic control staff in France went on strike and flights had to be rebooked.

Furthermore , operations at Zurich Airport are considered vulnerable to wind conditions. This means that even at relatively low wind speeds, capacity must be reduced for safety reasons, thus reducing the number of takeoffs and landings possible.

Thunderstorms, which occur more frequently in summer, also have an impact on operations: they stop so-called handling, such as loading and unloading luggage on aircraft.

A flight is considered on-time if the aircraft takes off or lands no later than 14 minutes and 59 seconds after the scheduled time. For Swiss Airlines, 72 percent of flights took off on time this year. This is a slight improvement over 2024, when the figure was 68 percent for the period from January to June. Punctuality was significantly higher on arrival.

As Swiss announced on Thursday, it will likely be "very difficult" to maintain the improved level over the busy summer months. To stabilize operations, the airline will operate with buffers—reserve aircraft and additional crews that can step in if needed. In addition, the newly created "turnaround manager" role will ensure that the phase between an aircraft's arrival and departure, including loading, refueling, and cleaning, runs smoothly.