Faced with a combination of summer travel and new EES border checks, Swiss airports are advising that passengers prepare for longer queues and leave extra time to deal with delays.
Swiss airports are advising travellers to get ready for long queues over the summer period, with increased waiting times and particular concerns about passengers arriving from outside Europe amid new border rules.
As the peak travel season is already underway and will continue into August, Switzerland’s three main international airports (Zurich, Geneva and Basel EuroAirport) are all advising passengers about longer waiting times at passport control due an anticipated busy summer season combined with new Entry/Exit System (EES) checks.
This concerns particularly those who are going to or coming from outside the Schengen area.
This comes as European airport and airline associations have once again urged the European Commission to take immediate action as they warn the new digital Entry/Exit System (EES) risks travel mayhem and misery for millions this summer.
READ ALSO: What you should know about travel in Switzerland this summer
For those coming and going to Switzerland, travellers can check up-to-date waiting times for check-in, security and passport control at each airport’s website.
Zurich’s advice states that “the summer holidays are one of the busiest times at Zurich Airport. On peak days, more than 110,000 passengers are regularly expected at Zurich Airport.
“Good preparation helps to reduce waiting times and ensures a relaxed start to the holidays. Where possible, it is advisable to use automated services to reduce waiting times,” it adds.
Basel EuroAirport notes that as the “summer vacation will soon begin in the tri-border area”, passengers should remember that in “the upcoming weeks, EuroAirport is therefore expecting a sharp increase in passenger volume.”
Looking ahead to longer queues, the Franco-Swiss travel hub has recommended that “an early arrival at the Airport is strongly recommended.”
“During summer vacation time, a very high volume of passengers is expected at EuroAirport. This inevitably leads to longer waiting times at checkpoints for both departures and arrivals. An early arrival at the Airport – at least two hours before departure – is therefore strongly recommended,” it adds.
Geneva Airport is recommending even more time to be sure to avoid delays this summer: “We strongly recommend arriving at the airport early enough, ideally three hours before your flight’s departure, or following the recommendations provided by your airline. Planning ahead is particularly important at weekends.”
“Summer 2026 is shaping up to be a busy season at Geneva airport, with many passengers expected in July and August,” it says, adding that “this summer, Geneva airport offers more than 120 direct destinations, operated by nearly 50 scheduled airlines.”
New Entry/Exit System (EES) delays
In addition to the peak travel season, Swiss airports will also have to contend with increased passenger numbers passing through new biometric border rules, something that’s already disrupted travel in the country’s major travel hubs.
The European biometric registrations scheme, known as the Entry/Exit System (EES), has been causing major delays at Swiss airports since its introduction.
The system is intended for travellers from outside Schengen, that is, nationals of countries other than those in the EU or EFTA (Norway, Iceland, and Lichtenstein).
For them, entering the Schengen zone through Switzerland (as through any other member country, for that matter) involves undergoing a digital border control process which checks their identity and registers their arrival.
They need to have their passport scanned, and have their face photographed as well as provide four fingerprints at a kiosk intended for this purpose at Switzerland’s three international airports: Zurich, Geneva, and Basel.
The system works the same way throughout the entire Schengen zone.
A spokesperson for Zurich Airport reported in June that wait times in EES-bound queues sometimes exceed an hour.
In Geneva, the Federal Office of Customs and Border Security (BAZG), which is responsible for passport controls, said the EES system is generally working well, though waiting times have increased.
This is not the first time long queues have formed at EES kiosks in Swiss airports during peak travel periods.
Bottlenecks were reported at Geneva airport in February, peak ski season in Switzerland, when scores of non-EU/EFTA foreigners, particularly from the UK, “have sometimes had to wait up to two and a half hours to enter the country,” according to reports by public broadcaster RTS.
READ MORE: Travel to Switzerland: Your questions answered about EES and ETIAS
