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Flight compensation in Switzerland: delays, cancellations and how to claim

By passengers on routes within Europe in Eurostat’s 2024 data, Zurich and Geneva were Switzerland’s busiest airports (Basel’s EuroAirport is on French soil). SWISS has its hubs in Zurich and Geneva, Edelweiss flies from Zurich, and easyJet has a base in Geneva. Switzerland applies the EU261 rules through the EU–Switzerland air transport agreement: they cover all departures from Swiss airports, and flights to Switzerland from outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland when an airline based in one of those countries operates them.

By the EU261 Flight Delay editorial team Last reviewed: How we write our guides

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In short: Every flight departing from Switzerland is covered by EU261, whatever the airline: €250–€600 per passenger for a delay of 3 hours or more at arrival, a cancellation with less than 14 days’ notice or denied boarding – unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances. Flights into Switzerland from outside the EU are covered only on EU airlines. Complain to the airline first, then to Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA/BAZL) – Passenger rights, and if needed go to court.

Which flights are covered

Your flightRulesWhich airlines
From Switzerland to anywhereEU261Any airline
From another EU/EEA country or Switzerland to SwitzerlandEU261Any airline
From the UK to SwitzerlandUK261 (EU261 too on an EU airline)Any airline
From outside Europe to SwitzerlandEU261EU airlines only

Whatever the cause, from 2 hours’ delay the airline must also provide meals and drinks, and a hotel if you are stuck overnight; after a cancellation or a 5-hour delay you can choose a refund. Care and refunds.

Check your flight from Switzerland

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What happened?Step 1 of 4

What happened to your flight?
Where did you fly from and to?

With a connection, enter your first departure and your final destination – compensation is based on the total distance.

How late did you arrive at your final destination?

What counts is when the aircraft doors opened at your destination – not the departure delay.

When were you told about the cancellation?
When did you arrive on the replacement flight?
Which airline operated the flight?
When was the flight?

How many passengers were on the booking?

1 passenger

Every passenger gets their own compensation, children too. Infants under 2 without their own seat do not count.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • Fee only if successful (35%)
  • AirHelp: Trustpilot 4.5/5

Rather skip the questions? Start a claim with AirHelp straight away

How much: example routes from Switzerland

Compensation per passenger for a 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation on the busiest international routes (Eurostat 2024):

RouteDistanceOutboundReturn
Zurich – Berlin650 km€250€250
Geneva – Porto1,309 km€250€250
Zurich – Amsterdam Schiphol603 km€250€250
Zurich – Madrid Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas1,239 km€250€250
Zurich – Vienna603 km€250€250
Zurich – Barcelona El Prat856 km€250€250
Zurich – Palma de Mallorca996 km€250€250
Geneva – Lisbon1,496 km€250€250
Zurich – Lisbon1,723 km€400€400
Geneva – Amsterdam Schiphol682 km€250€250

How to claim in Switzerland

  1. Claim from the airline in writing – its online form or a letter (complaint letter generator). Keep your booking, boarding pass and receipts.
  2. National enforcement body: Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA/BAZL) – Passenger rights – FOCA can sanction airlines but is not competent to deal with passengers’ financial claims; for money, passengers must go to the civil courts. Switzerland currently has no air-passenger mediation body. It deals with flights departing from Switzerland, and flights arriving there from outside the EU.
  3. Court: the local court for the departure or arrival airport, or – for cross-border cases – the European Small Claims Procedure.

Prefer not to do it yourself? A claims company does the work for a share of the compensation – see claim companies compared.

Airlines from Switzerland

Customer service: SWISS.

Airports in Switzerland

Delay causes, busiest routes and seasonal patterns: flights to Switzerland · European delay statistics.

Strikes in Switzerland

No strikes affecting flights in Switzerland are announced in our strike calendar at the moment.

Strike days at Switzerland’s airports since 2024

EUROCONTROL recorded no arrival flow restrictions due to industrial action at Switzerland’s airports between January 2024 and 30 September 2026. Strikes by air traffic controllers elsewhere and by airline staff are not included. Check a specific day.

Good to know

  • If the airline will not pay, FOCA cannot order it to – it can only sanction breaches. For compensation, the route is the civil courts or a claims agency.
  • Every departure from Zurich or Geneva is covered by the Swiss version of EU261, whatever the airline and wherever you are flying – including to the UK. From the UK: flights to Switzerland are covered by UK261.
  • In EUROCONTROL’s 2025 data Zurich had a higher average arrival flow-control delay than Geneva, with weather the biggest single cause and May the worst month.

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation can I get for a delayed flight in Switzerland?

Under EU261, €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500–3,500 km (and for every flight within the EU over 1,500 km) and €600 for longer flights (€300 if a long-haul flight arrives 3–4 hours late), per passenger, if you arrive 3 hours or more late and the airline cannot prove extraordinary circumstances. It does not matter where you live – only where you flew from, where to, and with which airline.

Where do I complain in Switzerland if the airline refuses to pay?

To Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA/BAZL) – Passenger rights, the national enforcement body for Switzerland (FOCA can sanction airlines but is not competent to deal with passengers’ financial claims; for money, passengers must go to the civil courts. Switzerland currently has no air-passenger mediation body). It handles complaints about flights departing from Switzerland and flights arriving there from outside the EU.

How long do I have to claim in Switzerland?

The time limit depends on which country’s courts hear the claim, and we have not found an authoritative statement of the period for Switzerland. Claim as soon as you can, and check with Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA/BAZL) – Passenger rights or the European Consumer Centre. See time limits by country.

I live in Switzerland but my flight left from another country. Where can I claim?

Your rights depend on the flight, not on where you live. For a flight between two EU countries you can sue in the courts for the place of departure or the place of arrival (CJEU C-204/08 Rehder); for cross-border cases the European Small Claims Procedure works by post and online. The enforcement body to complain to is the one in the country where the incident happened.

Information only, not legal advice. Enforcement bodies and dispute schemes as listed by the European Commission, checked November 2026.

Sources

  1. National enforcement bodies under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (updated 13 October 2026) – European Commission
  2. Air passenger rights – Federal Office of Civil Aviation FOCA
  3. Vos droits en cas de vol retardé – Office fédéral de l’aviation civile OFAC
  4. Agreement between the EC and the Swiss Confederation on Air Transport (consolidated) – EUR-Lex
  5. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it applies in the UK (UK261) – Article 3, scope – legislation.gov.uk
  6. UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 (flights by destination from UK airports) – UK Civil Aviation Authority
  7. Airport arrival ATFM (flow-control) delay data, 2024–2025 – EUROCONTROL Aviation Intelligence Unit
  8. Air passenger transport by reporting airport (avia_par), 2024 – Eurostat
  9. Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
  10. EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL
  11. C-204/08 Rehder v Air Baltic (jurisdiction: place of departure or arrival) – EUR-Lex

We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.