Air traffic and emissions: return to pre-Covid levels

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.

The three main hubs and traffic distribution

General aviation, which operates with small aircraft, represented 68% of all aircraft movements in 2025. Scheduled and charter flights, instead, dominated the passenger flow with a share of 99%. The three main Swiss airports recorded differentiated trends. Zurich marked a +4%, reaching 32.5 million passengers; Basel-Mulhouse achieved an increase of over 8%, reaching 9.6 million; Geneva, instead, remained substantially stable at 17.7 million. The total distance covered by passengers grew by over 6%, underscoring that flights were not only more numerous, but also on routes that were on average longer. The average seat load factor instead decreased from 82% to 79%, a figure that reveals how the sector had to increase supply capacity to cover heterogeneous demand, with the most significant decline recorded on routes to North America and Asia.

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.

Air Safety in Marked Improvement

Contrary to the negative trend in emissions, Switzerland's air safety chapter records clear and reassuring improvement. The number of incidents and serious events involving aircraft registered in Switzerland fell from 23 in 2024 to 10 in 2025. Deaths decreased from 5 to 3, while serious injuries fell from 7 to 5. These numbers reflect increasingly rigorous technological and procedural standards in the civil aviation sector, despite the significant increase in total traffic volume.

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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.

Action: monitor and optimize your mobility

If you are frequent users of domestic or international flights, begin to reflect on how to optimize your travels and related expenses. Compare the transportation options available in Switzerland: railways, buses, car-sharing can represent valid alternatives depending on your route and your needs. Understanding the Swiss transportation system will help you make choices that are conscious both economically and environmentally. The Federal Statistical Office will continue to monitor the evolution of air traffic in the coming years: stay updated by regularly consulting the official data to anticipate changes in costs and flight availability for your personal and professional needs.

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Source: tio.ch