Zurich Airport traffic figures October 2020

In October 2020, 468’616 passengers passed through Zurich Airport, corresponding to a decrease of 83.7% compared to last year. Flughafen Zürich AG assumes that international travel will remain at a low level over the winter months and expects 8 to 9 million passengers for 2020.

Local passengers decreased by 80.7% to 403’075 in October 2020. The transfer rate is at 13.0% in the month under review (-13.9 percentage points vs. previous year) and transfer passengers decreased by 92.2% to 60’372.

In October 2020, air traffic movements decreased to 8’440 (-64.9% vs. previous year). The average passenger per movement figure decreased to 78.4 (-41.7% vs. previous year). The average seat load factor is at 46.3% (-34.0 percentage points vs. previous year).

In October 2020, a total of 25’871 tons of freight were transported at Zurich Airport. This corresponds to a decrease in freight volume of 33.0% compared to last year.

Traffic Outlook

After the first, slight recovery in travel activities in the summer months, the rising number of pandemic cases and the large number of travel as well as quarantine restrictions prevent a further normalization in the aviation industry. While in August an increase to around 50% of the previous year’s capacity was predicted for year-end, the expectations for the winter months are currently significantly lower. Flughafen Zürich AG expects 8 to 9 million passengers at Zurich Airport in 2020, depending on the number of people traveling in the upcoming holiday season. While the outlook is still uncertain, Flughafen Zürich AG remains optimistic in the medium term: The traffic mix with a high proportion of local passengers, a strong home carrier and the robust Swiss economy create favorable conditions for returning to pre-crisis levels in the coming years.