At Switzerland’s Zurich Airport, more and more passengers are trying to get on airplanes without boarding passes. But how is this possible?
Even though it sounds nearly impossible in this day and age of strict controls to circumvent the rules, some people have managed to get on board airplanes at Zurich airport without a valid boarding pass in their hands or on their mobile phones.
For instance, according to a report by SRF public broadcastter, in June 2024, a woman managed to board a plane at Zurich Airport without a ticket.
“She took advantage of an unobserved moment to bypass security and boarded a flight to Amsterdam,” according to SRF.
However, she didn’t get far.
When the flight attendants counted the number of passengers on the plane and compared it with the number of issued boarding passes, they eventually discovered the stowaway. She was subsequently arrested and fined 500 francs.
That could have been the end of the story. But it wasn’t.
Unrepented fare dodger
A few weeks later, the same woman tried to fly to Barcelona — also without a ticket.
This time, she walked through the boarding gate closely behind a person with a boarding pass.
She was, however, again discovered at the headcount, but only once she’d got onto the plane..
Another example cited in the SRF report was a man who, when caught doing the same, claimed he wanted to test whether flying without a ticket was as easy as riding a train without one (he discovered it wasn’t).
He too, remained grounded while the plane left without him.
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Cases are on the rise
While the number of people trying this trick is overall very low, their number has increased in Zurich.
There was only one such case in 2023, four in 2024, and four in the months leading up to May 2025.
Zurich Airport spokesperson Bettina Kunz confirmed to the SRF that such incidents are increasing.
However, she said they are being better detected by sensors and cameras, which may be why only a handful managed to board a plane.
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Is this a security breach?
It certainly is.
Kunz, however, stressed that these incidents should be put in perspective: while their number has grown, it is just a tiny drop in the bucket, considering that 11 million people fly out of Zurich each year.
She also pointed out that even those who attempt to board without a ticket had to go through the security lanes before reaching the gate, so they have been vetted for safety.
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What’s this situation line in Geneva and Basel EuroAirport?
There is no record of individual attempts to board without a ticket in Geneva,
However, over 100 activists disrupted a private aircraft trade fair in 2023 and entered the airport grounds. They, too, were fined for “unauthorised entry into the security zone.”
As for the EuroAirport, since it is located on the French territory, any attempts at entry are reported to French authorities.
