Pilots have rated Zurich airport safer than both Basel and Geneva airports, according to a comparison of 31 airports across Germany and Switzerland which placed the Alpine capital third.
Geneva and Basel airports took 26th and 30th places, respectively, in the safety analysis compiled by German Pilots’ Association Vereinigung Cockpit and Aeropers, the association representing Swiss International Air Lines and Edelweiss pilots.
Topping the safety list of the 31 German and Swiss airports was Leipzig/Halle.
The German Pilots’ Association has been analysing and rating German airports according to international safety standards since 1978, but this was the first time Aeropers was part of the project group, it said on Wednesday.
All of the airports are inspected by authorities and found to be satisfactory in terms of safety standards, but these analyses are designed to help airports improve safety standards even further.
Aviation incidents take place on a daily basis around the world, but there are some issues that are particularly problematic.
Key emphases for the 2025 analysis were the major risks of airplanes overshooting or leaving the runway unintentionally (excursion), the risk of unauthorised access to the runway (incursion) and evaluating back-up infrastructure in the event of GPS jamming.
“As a result of geopolitical tensions, such as the war in Ukraine, GPS interference is becoming increasingly common,” Vereinigung Cockpit said.
Incidents can range from minor to those involving multiple fatalities.
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Aeropers cited the 2024 crash at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, which saw a commercial plane collide with a small coast guard plane on the runway, killing five, and a Jeju Air flight later the same year when 179 people were killed. Following a bird strike, pilots attempted to land the plane at South Korea’s Muan International Airport but it overran the runway and crashed into a barrier.
Incidents like these highlight the importance of ongoing safety checks.
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Aeropers wants to continue assessing safety at Switzerland’s three national airports Zurich, Geneva and Basel each year and take part in Vereinigung Cockpit’s airport check, using pilots’ daily experience to continually inform and improve safety standards.
You can see the full results of the 2025 report at flughafencheck.ch.
