Geneva’s airport is worst in Europe; Largest Swiss cities have slowest public transport; Switzerland and Italy linked by cross-border bus

News for 22 October 2024

Cointrin, Geneva’s international airport, posted the worst performance results in Europe in terms of punctuality and reliability of flights during the summer of 2024. EasyJet is singled out as the main reason for these disruptions.

Because of the low-cost airline’s frequent delays and cancellations — 2.62 percent of flights were cancelled and 35 percent delayed — Cointrin has become one of the most ‘dysfunctional’ airports in Europe in 2024. This poses a problem to the airport’s management, because it relies heavily on the airline, which represents 46.4 percent of its market share.

Yet, EasyJet's poor record has a significant impact on Cointrin's overall performance.

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An Avenir Suisse think tank set out to find just out how quickly buses and trams travel through Switzerland’s cities — in other words, how long, on average, commuters need to spend in these modes of public transport before they arrive at their destination.

The results show that in Swiss cities in general, public transport allows commuters to get from point A to point B at an average of 8.3 km/h. The fastest public transport was found in St. Gallen, and Biel / Bienne — both relatively small cities — where buses and trams move at about 9.5 km/h.

In largest urban centres like Zurich, on the other hand, the speed is 8.5 km/h, and in Basel, 7.7 km/h. The slowest-moving public transport, however, is in Switzerland’s second-largest city, Geneva, where trams and buses travel at just slightly over 7 km/h.

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Switzerland and Italy signed an agreement on a cross-border bus “that will improve the quality of regional public transport,” the Federal Council announced on Thursday. This system will allow passengers to get on and off on both sides of the border.

"With this agreement, we are laying the foundations for a simpler and more attractive public transport in border regions,” said  Swiss Transport Minister Albert Rösti. "Regular bus connections between Lombardy and the canton of Ticino, between Aosta and Lower Valais, and between Chiavenna and the Engadine will benefit from this," he pointed out.

Similar agreements to facilitate cross-border public transport already exist with Germany, Austria and France.