# Current development of flight movements per year

A map of a former edition of the Atlas of Switzerland, the national atlas published by ETH Zurich. It opens only in the desktop atlas (version 4) for Windows and macOS, not in the web atlas; see the links below.

- Map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/current-development-of-flight-movements-per-year/
- Short title: Flight movements: current development
- Map id: 544
- Categories: Traffic and Communication › Air traffic › Flight movements
- Keywords: Air traffic, Transport
- Published: 2018-03-05
- Last revised: 2025-07-14
- Content language: English
- Other languages: [Deutsch](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/de/thema/aktuelle-entwicklung-der-flugbewegungen-pro-jahr.md), [Français](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/fr/theme/evolution-actuelle-des-mouvements-aeriens-par-an.md), [Italiano](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/it/tema/andamento-dei-movimenti-aerei-per-anno.md)

## Description

In 2020, a total of around 1.1 million takeoffs and landings were recorded in Switzerland’s civil aviation. This represents a decrease of 24% of movements and even of 71% of passengers compared to the previous year. Only 166 000 of movements were scheduled and charter flights, which nevertheless handle almost 97% of the total passenger transport.

The maximum number of flight movements in scheduled and charter flights was reached in 2000 (537,813). Up until the Covid 19 pandemic, the number of flight movements has decreased by around 70,000 (2019: 469,667), equating to a change of -13%. The decline in flight movements was a result of the events of 2001 (9/11 in New York, the demise of Swissair), the bank crisis of 2008 and the general trend towards increased flight occupancy.
The decline was mainly at the expense of Zurich Airport (-16%) and Basel Mulhouse (-23%), while Geneva Airport was actually able to record considerable growth from 2004 onwards (+22%). The reason for these deviating developments was that Swissair had already largely withdrawn from Geneva Airport for long-haul destinations back in the 90s.

## Sources

- FSO (2017): [Linien- und Charterverkehr](https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/mobilitaet-verkehr/querschnittsthemen/zivilluftfahrt/linien-charterverkehr.html)
- INTRAPLAN (2015): Entwicklung des Luftverkehrs in der Schweiz bis 2030 – Nachfrageprognose

## Data sources

- BAZL (2010): Fluganlagen der Schweiz
- BAZL (2023): Statistiken 2023 BAZL
- BAZL (2024): Statistiken 2024 BAZL
- BFS (2023): [Schweizerische Zivilluftfahrtstatistik 2022 - 4. Bewegungen](https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/mobilitaet-verkehr/querschnittsthemen/zivilluftfahrt.assetdetail.26705594.html)
- FOCA (2017): [Flugplätze](https://www.bazl.admin.ch/bazl/de/home/sicherheit/infrastruktur/flugplaetze.html)
- FSO (2017): [Linien- und Charterverkehr](https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/mobilitaet-verkehr/querschnittsthemen/zivilluftfahrt/linien-charterverkehr.html)
- FSO (2021): [Zivilluftfahrt im Jahr 2020: Linien- und Charterverkehr sowie General Aviation](https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/mobilitaet-verkehr.html)

## Data owners

- [Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA)](http://www.bazl.admin.ch)
- [Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO)](https://www.bfs.admin.ch/)

## Citation

The terms of use ask to name the Atlas of Switzerland and the data owners, and to keep the source references in exports, screenshots and embeds. Cite the map as:

> Atlas of Switzerland (2025): Current development of flight movements per year. ETH Zürich. Map data © FOCA, FSO. https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/current-development-of-flight-movements-per-year/

## Links

- Map page, with the description and sources and a button that opens the map in the desktop atlas: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/current-development-of-flight-movements-per-year/
- Open the map in the desktop atlas (version 4), where it is installed: adsglobe://map/544
- Download of the desktop atlas (version 4) for Windows and macOS: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/ads4-download/

## Related maps

- [Flight movements on international routes](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/flight-movements-on-international-routes.md) (id 512, former edition, desktop atlas only)
- [Number of flight movements according to mode of transport](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/number-of-flight-movements-according-to-mode-of-transport.md) (id 540, former edition, desktop atlas only)
- [Number of flight movements according to type of transport](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/number-of-flight-movements-according-to-type-of-transport.md) (id 538, former edition, desktop atlas only)
- [Historical development of commercial flight movements per year](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/historical-development-of-commercial-flight-movements-per-year.md) (id 543, former edition, desktop atlas only)
- [Number of monthly flight movements](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/number-of-monthly-flight-movements.md) (id 536, former edition, desktop atlas only)
- [Number of flight movements according to day of the week](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/number-of-flight-movements-according-to-day-of-the-week.md) (id 546, former edition, desktop atlas only)
- [Number of flight movements according to the time of day](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/number-of-flight-movements-according-to-the-time-of-day.md) (id 363, former edition, desktop atlas only)

For the use and citation of maps and data, see the [terms of use](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/terms-of-use/).