The first weekend of school holidays triggered a passenger surge at Zurich Airport, with up to 110,000 travellers passing through the terminals on Saturday, 12 July—a post-pandemic record for Switzerland’s main hub. Spain (Madrid, Alicante, Barcelona) and Portugal (Porto) topped the destination list, while Bangkok, Singapore and Seoul led long-haul demand, according to Swiss International Air Lines. Despite the crowds, throughput at security checkpoints improved thanks to new CT scanners that allow liquids and electronics to remain in hand luggage. The technology, rolled out in late June, reduces average screening time by 30 percent and means passengers can now carry liquids of up to two litres, so long as containers are not double-walled. Airport operator Flughafen Zürich AG opened additional parking positions and urged travellers to arrive three hours before departure. Ground-handling unions reported peak-day staffing held up, averting the strike threats that plagued several European airports last summer. Nevertheless, immigration queues for non-Schengen arrivals stretched to 45 minutes during the late-evening bank of intercontinental flights, prompting calls for more e-gates. For mobility teams, the message is clear: summer capacity is back at (or above) 2019 levels, and itinerary buffers are essential. Employers should remind assignees and short-term travellers that early-morning services to major hubs can face slot congestion; booking the night before may be the safer option when same-day meetings are critical.
Source: SWI swissinfo.ch
