Swiss air traffic grows, but emissions rise (cross-border guide)

Context

In brief

• In 2025 Swiss air traffic exceeded pre-Covid figures for the first time
• 1.4 million air movements (+5% vs 2024, +3% vs 2019)
• 60.5 million passengers (+4% vs 2024), Zurich leading with 32.5 million
• CO2 emissions up 3% to 5.74 million tonnes

Key facts

• What: Swiss civil aviation exceeds pre-Covid figures in 2025
• When: Data released in 2025 relating to 2025
• Where: Switzerland (main hubs: Zurich, Basel-Mulhouse, Geneva)
• Who: FSO (Federal Statistical Office), civil aviation sector
• Movements: 1.4 million take-offs and landings, +5% compared to 2024
• Passengers: 60.5 million, +4% vs 2024
• CO2 emissions: 5.74 million tonnes, +3%
• Fuel: 1.83 million tonnes supplied in Switzerland

In 2025 Switzerland achieved a significant milestone: civil aviation exceeded for the first time the figures recorded before the Covid-19 crisis. According to data released today by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), air traffic in our country reached 1.4 million movements (take-offs and landings), growing 5% compared to 2024 and 3% compared to 2019, the last year of pre-pandemic normality. A return to pre-Covid levels that marks a consolidation of the recovery in the Swiss aviation sector after years of crisis.

Passenger numbers tell a similar story: the 60.5 million passengers recorded in 2025 represent growth of 4% compared to the previous year and 2% compared to 2019. An expansion that confirms how Swiss air routes have recovered not only pre-pandemic volumes, but have continued to grow beyond that.

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Operational details

The Climate Question

With the resumption of air traffic, fuel consumption experienced an inverted contraction. In 2025, approximately 1.83 million tonnes of aircraft fuel were supplied in Switzerland, an increase compared to 1.77 million the previous year. Although the increase is modest in percentage terms, CO2 emissions from these consumptions rose by almost 3%, reaching 5.74 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Not only that: emissions of nitrogen oxides, an air pollutant that contributes to smog formation and air acidification, grew proportionally to the volume of airport activity.

This dynamic poses an interesting tension in the landscape of Swiss environmental policy. On one hand, the economic and transport recovery is a positive signal. On the other hand, the country's climate commitments require a reduction of overall emissions, regardless of the sector.

National Implications for Federal Climate Targets

For Switzerland, a country committed to ambitious climate targets—including federal CO2 legislation and reduction targets for 2030 and 2050—the rebound in aviation poses a concrete challenge. Aviation is a 'difficult' sector for decarbonization: unlike road transport, where electric vehicles are spreading rapidly, the absence of mature technological alternatives to fossil fuels for commercial aviation makes emission control more complex.

The 3% growth in aviation CO2 emissions in 2025 coexists with an important historical observation: 2019 recorded even higher levels of emissions and traffic volume. Therefore, from a 20-30 year perspective, the sector will still need to significantly reduce its consumption standards to align with Swiss climate targets.

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Key points

The positive finding: aircraft safety in dramatic improvement

In stark contrast to the negative trend in emissions, Swiss aviation recorded dramatic improvements in aircraft safety in 2025. The number of incidents and serious events involving aircraft registered in Switzerland fell from 23 to 10, representing a reduction of over 50%. This is a particularly significant finding because it was achieved despite airport activity volume increasing substantially.

Accident victims recorded an equally significant decline: from 5 deaths in 2024 to 3 in 2025. Serious injuries, finally, were reduced from 7 to 5. Although every accident and every victim remain tragic from a human perspective, the downward trend — in a context of growing traffic — is a positive indicator of the quality of regulation, maintenance, and operational standards in the Swiss sector.

What do these figures mean for passengers

For those who fly in Switzerland or with Swiss airlines, the improvement in safety represents a concrete reduction in the statistical risk of serious incidents. Switzerland has historically maintained standards of civil aviation among the most rigorous in the world. The 2025 UST data suggests that this commitment continues to produce tangible results in terms of safety, even during phases of operational expansion. Air traffic control systems, aircraft maintenance protocols, and pilot training remain among the most stringent internationally.

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