SWISS cancelled 85 flights to and from Zurich by late afternoon on 28 August as severe thunderstorms and repeated lightning strikes disrupted operations at Zurich Airport. The storm forced temporary pauses in apron handling for safety reasons, leaving about 11,200 passengers affected and causing delays of up to three hours on some services.
The disruption escalated through the day, rising from 27 cancellations around midday to 85 by later in the afternoon as storm cells continued to move across the Zurich area. Ground crews were unable to load or unload aircraft, refuel jets or prepare them for departure during lightning activity, creating knock-on delays across SWISS’s network. Further cancellations could not be ruled out later in the evening as unstable weather persisted over the airline’s main hub.