A second VisaHQ report released on 23 December focuses on contingency plans at Switzerland’s three main airports. Zurich, Geneva and Basel-Mulhouse have activated holiday-peak rosters, adding customer-service agents and queue-management staff after industrial action at London-Luton and several Spanish hubs delayed inbound aircraft over the weekend. Passenger volumes are tracking 10–15 % above 2024 levels and are forecast to peak on 26 and 28 December.
Airports are also wrestling with teething problems linked to the EU Entry/Exit System (EES). Geneva’s biometric kiosks froze twice on 21 December, forcing a temporary return to manual processing and fuelling four-hour waits for non-EU arrivals. Zurich has installed additional crowd-control barriers and published guidance urging travellers to complete web check-in and bag-drop wherever possible.
![Swiss Airports Ramp Up Staffing as Strikes Abroad and Biometric Checks Threaten Peak-Season Operations]()
Corporate mobility teams are being told to avoid tight 90-minute connections for staff transiting Swiss hubs, and to consider rail links for intra-European meetings. Tour operators warn that coach transfers to ski resorts are sensitive to flight delays because mountain roads close overnight.
Looking ahead, Switzerland plans to lift the EES processing threshold from 10 % to 35 % of eligible passengers on 9 January. Unless software stability and kiosk reliability improve, airport authorities fear even longer queues during February’s World Economic Forum in Davos. Mobility chiefs should monitor the situation closely and brief VIP travellers accordingly.
Airports are also wrestling with teething problems linked to the EU Entry/Exit System (EES). Geneva’s biometric kiosks froze twice on 21 December, forcing a temporary return to manual processing and fuelling four-hour waits for non-EU arrivals. Zurich has installed additional crowd-control barriers and published guidance urging travellers to complete web check-in and bag-drop wherever possible.
Corporate mobility teams are being told to avoid tight 90-minute connections for staff transiting Swiss hubs, and to consider rail links for intra-European meetings. Tour operators warn that coach transfers to ski resorts are sensitive to flight delays because mountain roads close overnight.
Looking ahead, Switzerland plans to lift the EES processing threshold from 10 % to 35 % of eligible passengers on 9 January. Unless software stability and kiosk reliability improve, airport authorities fear even longer queues during February’s World Economic Forum in Davos. Mobility chiefs should monitor the situation closely and brief VIP travellers accordingly.
Source: VisaHQ Global Mobility News
