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LATEST: More Swiss roads closed due to landslides and flooding

The severe storms that hit the cantons of Valais and Ticino over the weekend have resulted in significant travel disruptions for motorists. 

Published: 2 July 2024 09:44 CEST
LATEST: More Swiss roads closed due to landslides and flooding
Key mountain passes remain closed after storms and torrential rain hit the country's southwest over the last week. Photo: Boris HEGER / AFP

The weekend’s floods and landslides resulted in key roads becoming impassable, with some expected to be closed to traffic for several weeks. 

The Federal Roads Office announced on Monday that the following mountain passes are currently inaccessible due to landslides in the affected cantons:

The Nufenen Pass is expected to remain closed until the end of the week (5/7). 

READ MORE: The alternative routes from Switzerland to Italy

The Simplon Pass is closed until further notice.

Outside of Ticino and Valais, the San Bernardino Pass is currently closed due to ongoing roadworks.

These pass closures are in addition to those roads closed in the aftermath of flooding and landslides that hit the country’s southwest at the end of June, making southbound traffic difficult for the time being.

The status of all mountain passes can be checked before travelling at Alpen-pässe, and SRF maintains a constantly updated traffic portal listing road closures and showing traffic jams in real-time.

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TRAVEL NEWS

SWISS airline to make 80 changes in bid to avoid summer delays

The airline Swiss has introduced over 80 new measures to avoid delays this summer, after a difficult 2023.

Published: 4 July 2024 12:38 CEST
SWISS airline to make 80 changes in bid to avoid summer delays

The changes come after the airline admitted that only 57 percent of SWISS flights departed on time in May and June of 2023. 

Further embarrassment came when the Swiss carrier ranked 48 behind budget airlines Easyjet and Wiztair in the 2023 Airhelp Score.

Preparations for the summer holidays. include the hiring of more than 2,000 ground staff and customer service staff after shortfalls caused by the coronavirus pandemic, with many on hand to deal with complaints – an area that was highlighted in the Airhelp results. 

An improved baggage system at Zurich airport and new weather forecasting systems are further changes the airline hopes will avoid delays. 

In the future, passengers will also be able to use the SWISS mobile phone app to be notified about compensation and lost luggage. 

“We have made our preparations”, Oliver Buchhofer, SWISS’s COO told Blick. 

Unique challenges

Switzerland’s position and geography make it a challenging space for airlines to operate. 

The alpine topography of the country and the associated weather patterns generated means flight corridors are highly trafficked and can be easily shut down by severe weather. 

READ MORE: SWISS airline expands its US-bound flights and ups frequency

Adverse conditions are not something to risk – there have been 29 air crashes causing 445 fatalities since records began, according to the Aviation Safety Network. 

The country’s location also makes delays more likely. At the very heart of Europe, there are hundreds of flights crossing the country’s airspace, with Zurich airport connected to 205 destinations worldwide. 

Changing fortunes

SWISS has experienced a decline in standing over the past two decades. 

As Swissair, it was considered one of the world’s premier airlines in the decades following its founding in 1931. 

However, over-expansion in the 1990s caused the airline’s financial position to become more precarious. The 1998 crash of Swissair Flight 111 off Nova Scotia, coupled with the September 11 attacks in 2001, caused it to go bankrupt in 2002. 

The airline rebranded as SWISS, was then acquired by the Lufthansa group in 2005.

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