Airline personnel consider Zurich airport more secure than Geneva and Basel airports, according to ratings.
In the skies above Switzerland and beyond, the focus on safety remains paramount. For the year 2025, key emphases have been set for analysis, with major risks such as airplanes overshooting or leaving the runway unintentionally (excursion), the risk of unauthorized access to the runway (incursion), and evaluating backup infrastructure in the event of GPS jamming taking centre stage.
Aeropers, the professional association representing Swiss International Air Lines and Edelweiss pilots, has stepped up to the plate. They will be contributing to airport safety analysis in Switzerland by actively participating in an annual safety assessment of Swiss national airports—Zurich, Geneva, and Basel—alongside the German pilots’ association Vereinigung Cockpit (VC).
For the first time in 2025, Aeropers pilots joined the VC project group to analyse and evaluate airport safety using international standards. The collaboration aims to ensure high safety standards from the pilots' perspective, identify risks, and improve airport procedures to prevent serious incidents.
The annual safety assessments are not new. Aeropers has been conducting these checks at Switzerland's three national airports for some time now. Meanwhile, the German Pilots' Association has been analysing and rating German airports according to international safety standards since 1978.
This year, the two associations have combined forces to compile a safety analysis of 31 German and Swiss airports. The results of this comprehensive study can be found at flughafencheck.ch.
In the wake of several incidents, such as the 2024 crash at Haneda Airport in Tokyo involving a commercial plane colliding with a small coast guard plane on the runway, resulting in five fatalities, these ongoing safety checks are more important than ever.
The analyses are designed to help airports improve safety standards even further. For instance, Basel airport took the 30th place in the safety analysis, while Geneva airport ranked 26th. Leipzig/Halle airport topped the safety list of the analysed airports.
Moreover, Aeropers uses pilots' daily experience to inform and improve safety standards. This was evident in 2025 when a Jeju Air flight experienced a bird strike, leading the pilots to attempt an emergency landing at South Korea’s Muan International Airport. The plane overran the runway and crashed into a barrier, resulting in 179 fatalities.
As geopolitical tensions, such as the war in Ukraine, lead to GPS interference becoming increasingly common, Aeropers' involvement is crucial in ensuring that Swiss airports remain prepared and vigilant.
In a statement made on Wednesday, Aeropers confirmed that this was the first time they were part of the project group. The collaboration between Aeropers and Vereinigung Cockpit is a significant step towards enhancing airport safety by contributing pilot expertise in the evaluation and monitoring process, thereby helping Swiss airports maintain or improve their safety rankings within this international benchmarking framework.
- The collaboration between Aeropers and Vereinigung Cockpit is not limited to Swiss airports; they are conducting a safety analysis of 31 German and Swiss airports collectively.
- Despite the dominant focus on aviation safety in the skies, the risks associated with sports, such as accidents during training or competitions, can also pose significant challenges that require attention and prevention measures.
