Chaotic winds ground flights across Swiss airports in March 2026 storm
Strong winds disrupted air travel across Switzerland on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. Gusts of up to 78 km/h forced multiple flights to divert or abort landings at major airports in Zurich and Basel. Several airlines faced delays and rerouting as conditions worsened throughout the day. The turbulence began early, with wind speeds reaching 70 km/h at Euroairport Basel. Planes arriving from Antalya and Budapest were redirected to Stuttgart, while an Istanbul-bound flight ended up in Geneva instead. A private jet from Zurich also struggled, failing to land in Bern and returning to its origin.
At Zurich Airport, the situation was just as chaotic. Airlines including ULS Airlines, Air Baltic, KLM, British Airways, and Swiss saw their flights affected. One Swiss aircraft attempted to land twice before finally diverting to Milan. Pilots at both airports reported difficult approaches, with several planes forced to climb back up after failed landing attempts.
Official sources confirmed that gusts of up to 78 km/h swept through the region, making it unsafe for normal operations. The disruptions lasted for hours, leaving passengers stranded and schedules in disarray. The wind-related delays and diversions impacted dozens of flights across Switzerland. Airlines worked to rebook passengers and adjust routes as conditions slowly improved. By late evening, operations began returning to normal, though some knock-on delays persisted.
