Zurich Airport records more flight movements

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• 25,071 take-offs and landings were recorded at Zurich Airport in May, 5.1 percent more than a year earlier.
• The busiest day was the Friday before Pentecost with 884 flight movements.
• The pre-coronavirus level of 2019 was only just missed.

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Despite geopolitical tensions, Zurich Airport once again registered more flight movements in May 2026 than in the same month last year. A total of 25,071 take-offs and landings were recorded, which corresponds to an increase of 5.1% compared to May 2025.

This is according to an analysis by the news agency AWP on Monday. The busiest day was 22 May, the Friday before Whitsun, with 884 arrivals and departures. In the first five months of 2026, flight movements totaled 106,715, which was 4.1% above the corresponding figure for the previous year. However, this is still 1.6% short of the pre-coronavirus level of 2019.

Air traffic in Zurich has increased continuously since the outbreak of the Iran conflict at the end of February. Following March and April, the month of May was also up on the previous year. The growth was mainly driven by European traffic, while the number of intercontinental flights declined.

The figures on flight movements are based on daily updated statistics that record all flights according to instrument flight rules (IFR). In addition to scheduled flights, this also includes cargo, business and private flights. They are regarded as an indicator of traffic development, but may deviate from the passenger figures due to load factors and aircraft size.

The detailed passenger and traffic figures for May will be published on June 10.