Immediately after the start of the charges negotiation, as prescribed by the Ordinance on Airport Charges (OAC), the aviation industry worldwide has been hit by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which caused significant uncertainties for the determination of flight operations charges. An extension of the current charges period was therefore agreed with the negotiating partners, with the start of the next procedure for adjusting the flight operations charges starting at the beginning of 2025 at the latest. In addition, a 10% reduction in flight operations charges (excluding emission and aircraft-related noise charges) was agreed for 2021 to facilitate airlines to restart operations.

Next Steps
If no applications for amendments are received, the new charges regulations will come into force as agreed on January 1, 2021.
Swiss International Air Lines AG, easyJet Europe Airline GmbH as well as representatives of commercial airlines, light aviation / air sport, business aviation and freight forwarders have taken part in the negotiations. The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) attended the negotiations as an observer.