Air traffic and emissions: return to pre-Covid levels (cross-border guide)

Context

In brief

• In 2025, Swiss air traffic exceeds pre-Covid levels with 1.4 million aircraft movements
• Fuel consumption grows to 1.83 million tons with CO2 emissions +3%
• Air safety shows clear improvement: incidents halved in 2025

Key facts

• What: Statistics on air traffic and emissions in Switzerland for 2025
• When: Data released by the Federal Statistical Office
• Where: Zurich, Geneva, Basel-Mulhouse airports
• Who: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
• Aircraft movements: 1.4 million (+5% vs 2024, +3% vs 2019)
• Passengers: 60.5 million (+4% vs 2024, +2% vs 2019)
• CO2 emissions: 5.74 million tons (+3% vs 2024)

In 2025, for the first time after the pandemic, air transport in Switzerland surpassed the volumes recorded before the Covid-19 crisis. The Federal Statistical Office released today the official data: Swiss civil aviation recorded 1.4 million aircraft movements (take-offs and landings), 5% more than in 2024 and 3% more than in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year. The number of passengers reached 60.5 million, with increases of 4% compared to 2024 and 2% compared to 2019. However, the recovery of aviation is accompanied by a significant increase in CO2 emissions and energy consumption.

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Operational details

The growth in traffic has had direct consequences on energy consumption and environmental emissions. In 2025, approximately 1.83 million tonnes of aircraft fuel were supplied in Switzerland, compared to 1.77 million tonnes in the previous year. This increase of around 60,000 tonnes generated a corresponding 3% increase in CO2 emissions, reaching 5.74 million tonnes. In parallel, emissions of nitrogen oxides (air pollutant) also increased, highlighting the overall environmental impact of the recovery in air traffic.

The Efficiency Paradox: More Passengers, Empty Seats

A clear finding emerges from the analysis: despite the increase in the number of passengers, the average aircraft occupancy rate declined. This means that airlines operated with more aircraft and more frequencies to meet demand, but did not completely fill available seats. The drop from 82% to 79% average occupancy suggests a strategy of increasing capacity even when demand did not fully require it, or a redistribution of flights on less profitable routes with lower congestion.

This phenomenon directly impacts environmental sustainability: flights with fewer passengers per capita mean greater fuel consumption and higher emissions for each individual passenger transported. For those who fly regularly to or from Switzerland, understanding these dynamics helps evaluate personal transport choices and their impact on personal finances. Even small decisions about flight routing (direct vs. connecting, changing flight times for a less crowded time slot) can affect individual costs and the management of payslip allocated to air travel.

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Key points

For those who live and work in Switzerland, these data offer important insights for reflection on their own mobility and how it integrates into the national economy. Air transport is not merely a matter of vacations and personal business: it represents a strategic axis for Swiss connectivity with the rest of Europe and the world, influencing competitiveness and economic opportunities.

How to monitor official data

The Federal Statistical Office regularly publishes detailed statistics on air transport in its dedicated transportation section. Consulting this data makes it possible to understand the trend of the economy and national competitiveness in the medium term. The Swiss airports in Zurich, Geneva, and Basel-Mulhouse represent critical infrastructure that reflects the health of the Swiss economic system and the capacity to attract international investments and talent.

Future scenarios and cost implications

The growth of air traffic, accompanied by an increase in CO2 emissions, is not sustainable indefinitely. At the federal level, Switzerland pursues binding emission reduction targets by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050. This means that the aviation sector will be subject to increasingly greater regulatory pressures: development of sustainable fuel (SAF), aircraft efficiency improvements, possible taxes or emission compensation systems. For the Swiss citizen, this will likely result in an increase in the cost of airfare in the medium term. Evaluating today how cost of living and mobility integrate into your personal budget becomes increasingly relevant for planning future expenses.

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