Zurich Airport projects its busiest day of the year on 19 December, when roughly 100,000 passengers are expected to pass through its terminals. In a 12 December advisory the airport urged travellers to arrive early, use evening bag-drop options and pay close attention to baggage restrictions—especially for Swiss fondue kits and winter-sports gear.
Long-haul demand to New York, Miami and the Maldives is strong, while regional flights to Pristina and Scandinavian winter-sun destinations are near capacity. Airlines have added seasonal services, but staffing shortages in security and ground handling could stretch queues if bad weather reappears.
Travellers who still need to arrange entry documents can streamline the process through VisaHQ, which offers up-to-date visa and travel authorisation support for Switzerland and dozens of onward destinations. Its online portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) lets passengers complete applications and track approvals, helping corporate mobility teams and individual flyers avoid last-minute paperwork snags during the peak period.
![Zurich Airport Issues Holiday-Rush Guidance as 100,000-Passenger Day Looms]()
For corporate mobility planners the guidance highlights a narrow window to relocate staff or fly in project teams before Christmas shutdowns. Companies should factor in longer dwell times at security, potential luggage-delivery lags and the new EES kiosks now live at passport control for non-EU travellers.
The airport is staffing “EES help zones” near border booths and will deploy extra de-icing crews after last weekend’s storm-related disruptions. Travellers carrying power banks, e-cigarettes or loose lithium batteries must keep them in hand luggage, while empty fondue burners must travel checked.
Global-mobility managers moving household goods by air cargo should also budget for possible backlogs; Zurich processes most of Switzerland’s long-haul belly freight, and high passenger volumes can compress cargo capacity.
Long-haul demand to New York, Miami and the Maldives is strong, while regional flights to Pristina and Scandinavian winter-sun destinations are near capacity. Airlines have added seasonal services, but staffing shortages in security and ground handling could stretch queues if bad weather reappears.
Travellers who still need to arrange entry documents can streamline the process through VisaHQ, which offers up-to-date visa and travel authorisation support for Switzerland and dozens of onward destinations. Its online portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) lets passengers complete applications and track approvals, helping corporate mobility teams and individual flyers avoid last-minute paperwork snags during the peak period.
For corporate mobility planners the guidance highlights a narrow window to relocate staff or fly in project teams before Christmas shutdowns. Companies should factor in longer dwell times at security, potential luggage-delivery lags and the new EES kiosks now live at passport control for non-EU travellers.
The airport is staffing “EES help zones” near border booths and will deploy extra de-icing crews after last weekend’s storm-related disruptions. Travellers carrying power banks, e-cigarettes or loose lithium batteries must keep them in hand luggage, while empty fondue burners must travel checked.
Global-mobility managers moving household goods by air cargo should also budget for possible backlogs; Zurich processes most of Switzerland’s long-haul belly freight, and high passenger volumes can compress cargo capacity.
