Long Waits at Passport Control at Zurich Airport: Frustration Mounts as Queues Stretch Over 30 Meters

After a nine-hour flight from the USA, the passengers who have landed want only one thing: to go to bed. But at Zurich Airport they don’t settle down that easily. Because: After arrival, you have to go to passport control. And she has the talent.

If you are not a Swiss or EU citizen, you have to queue in a mega queue. This stretches over 30 meters to the escalator and even further. Images that are otherwise familiar from the USA and other countries.

The passengers are annoyed. “It can’t be true,” moans an American woman. A colleague puts her hands in her face. “Please do not.”

What’s going on at Zurich Airport? The cantonal police are responsible for passport controls. As with the security check, she is also struggling with staff shortages here.

When asked, the kapo said they were checking in accordance with the Schengen Borders Code. This included “incoming controls” for nationals of third countries such as the USA.

“With high passenger numbers, especially at peak travel times, waiting times cannot always be avoided.”

The limited security staff should only receive support in the summer months, the Kapo explained to Nau.ch in April and last week.

“The recruitment and training of additional, temporary assistants is currently taking place. These are intended to support the preparation of the security check in the summer months, »explained Ralph Hirt from Kapo Zurich. Meanwhile, the training of new employees for the airport control department is in full swing.