Zurich Airport has officially closed the books on a landmark year. Figures released on 17 January show that Switzerland’s primary international gateway handled 32.6 million passengers in 2025—4.5 % more than in 2024 and, crucially, 1.1 million more than the previous high reached in 2019. The symbolic milestone confirms what travel managers have been sensing for months: business mobility to and from Switzerland is not only back, it is expanding faster than the European average.
Airport operator Flughafen Zürich AG attributes the rebound to three mutually reinforcing factors. First, a robust return of North-Atlantic corporate demand—particularly in pharmaceuticals, private banking and tech—prompted Swiss International Air Lines, Delta and United to add seat capacity rather than chase higher fares. Second, Switzerland’s renewed popularity as a high-yield leisure destination filled premium cabins outside the traditional Monday-to-Thursday business window, smoothing load factors. Third, a slew of Gulf and Asian carriers reinstated double-daily frequencies, restoring the east-west connectivity that Zurich lost during the pandemic.
For global-mobility departments the data translate into improved seat availability and more competitive fares on key long-haul sectors. Travel-management companies report that Zurich-New York business-class inventory is now 14 % higher than a year ago, while average advance fares are down 7 %. Capacity gains have also reduced the need for corporate jet charters on routes such as Zurich–Bangalore, where SWISS partner Lufthansa reinstated a same-day connection via Munich.
![Zurich Airport tops pre-Covid passenger record with 32.6 million travellers in 2025]()
Amid this upswing, corporate travel planners are also revisiting visa-compliance workflows. VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) streamlines the issuance of Schengen and onward visas for employees, contractors and visiting clients, offering digital application tools, real-time status tracking and dedicated support for bulk requests—an easy safeguard against last-minute document snags when seats are plentiful but schedules tight.
Infrastructure, however, is feeling the strain. The airport is accelerating its Dock A redevelopment and inaugurating additional CT security scanners to keep checkpoint times below ten minutes. HR teams should advise travelling staff to allow extra time until the works finish in late 2026. Meanwhile, the airport confirmed that the long-awaited direct rail link from Limmattal will open a year early in December 2026, shaving up to 12 minutes off peak-hour commutes from Zurich’s western suburbs.
Analysts note that Zurich’s outperformance has wider implications: by surpassing its pre-Covid peak, the hub cements its status as the Lufthansa Group’s most profitable base, a factor likely to channel future fleet investments to Switzerland. Multinationals can therefore expect continued growth in long-haul options—good news for assignment managers juggling complex routing for project teams.
Airport operator Flughafen Zürich AG attributes the rebound to three mutually reinforcing factors. First, a robust return of North-Atlantic corporate demand—particularly in pharmaceuticals, private banking and tech—prompted Swiss International Air Lines, Delta and United to add seat capacity rather than chase higher fares. Second, Switzerland’s renewed popularity as a high-yield leisure destination filled premium cabins outside the traditional Monday-to-Thursday business window, smoothing load factors. Third, a slew of Gulf and Asian carriers reinstated double-daily frequencies, restoring the east-west connectivity that Zurich lost during the pandemic.
For global-mobility departments the data translate into improved seat availability and more competitive fares on key long-haul sectors. Travel-management companies report that Zurich-New York business-class inventory is now 14 % higher than a year ago, while average advance fares are down 7 %. Capacity gains have also reduced the need for corporate jet charters on routes such as Zurich–Bangalore, where SWISS partner Lufthansa reinstated a same-day connection via Munich.
Amid this upswing, corporate travel planners are also revisiting visa-compliance workflows. VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) streamlines the issuance of Schengen and onward visas for employees, contractors and visiting clients, offering digital application tools, real-time status tracking and dedicated support for bulk requests—an easy safeguard against last-minute document snags when seats are plentiful but schedules tight.
Infrastructure, however, is feeling the strain. The airport is accelerating its Dock A redevelopment and inaugurating additional CT security scanners to keep checkpoint times below ten minutes. HR teams should advise travelling staff to allow extra time until the works finish in late 2026. Meanwhile, the airport confirmed that the long-awaited direct rail link from Limmattal will open a year early in December 2026, shaving up to 12 minutes off peak-hour commutes from Zurich’s western suburbs.
Analysts note that Zurich’s outperformance has wider implications: by surpassing its pre-Covid peak, the hub cements its status as the Lufthansa Group’s most profitable base, a factor likely to channel future fleet investments to Switzerland. Multinationals can therefore expect continued growth in long-haul options—good news for assignment managers juggling complex routing for project teams.
