Vacations can be read in the sky
Anyone wanting to know when Switzerland goes on vacation does not need to look only at highways and tunnel entrances. A glance at the sky is enough. Air traffic figures from air navigation service provider Skyguide for the 2026 summer holiday season reveal a clear pattern: the highest traffic peaks in Swiss airspace occur on Fridays and Mondays. The busiest day of the summer was Friday, 24 July, with 4,761 flights in the airspace monitored by Skyguide. If these flights were lined up one after another, they would form an aircraft queue that would extend more than once around the Earth, assuming the standard separation of five nautical miles between aircraft in flight. Another factor that is increasingly influencing summer travel traffic is the weather. 65 percent of delays during these months were caused by weather-related phenomena. Nevertheless, Skyguide was able to handle almost 93 percent of all flights on time.
Air cargo market set for continued growth through 2032
The global air cargo market is expected to expand significantly over the next six years. Fortune Business Insights forecasts revenues to increase from US$ 177.1 billion in 2025 to US$ 273.5 billion by 2032, corresponding to a compound annual growth rate of 6.4%. But the forecast also raises a more interesting question: which cargo segments will generate that growth? E-commerce remains an important driver, while healthcare, critical shipments and high-value commercial goods are becoming increasingly relevant. The market study identifies the continued expansion of cross-border online trade as a major driver through 2032. Healthcare is another segment identified by Fortune Business Insights as an important part of the future air cargo market. The growing importance of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, biologics and other high-value products is also reflected in current industry investments.
Haute adds a further Falcon in the form of a 2000LXS
Haute Aviation is adding a Dassault Falcon 2000LXS to its managed fleet. The aircraft marks the second addition to the Swiss business jet operator’s fleet in one month, underlining the company’s continued growth across its aircraft management and charter activities. The Falcon 2000LXS brings new capabilities to the fleet, combining long-range performance with the flexibility and comfort expected from a large-cabin business jet. The aircraft will be managed by Haute and will be available for charter soon. The latest addition follows the arrival of another aircraft, a Falcon 6X, earlier this month, making the past few weeks a particularly significant period of growth for the Swiss aviation company.
People: Esther Zermatten appointed new CEO of Air-Glaciers
Air-Glaciers will appoint Esther Zermatten as its CEO effective December 1, 2026. A 53-year-old native of Valais and an experienced executive with the Schindler Group, she will succeed Bernard Vogel, who will take early retirement after six years at the head of the company. Following a rigorous recruitment process conducted by an external firm, the Board of Directors, chaired by Mr. Philipp Perren, appointed Ms. Esther Zermatten as CEO of Air-Glaciers. More than ninety candidates had submitted their applications to the Board.
A 53-year-old native of Valais and a business economist with a Master of Science in Business Administration specializing in Innovation Management, Ms. Esther Zermatten has built a long and successful career spanning more than 25 years with the Schindler Group. In particular, she served as Head of Repair Management with global responsibility. Throughout her career, she worked for the Schindler Group first in Sion, then in Paris for four years, and finally at the headquarters in Ebikon. Trilingual (French, German/Swiss German, and English), Ms. Esther Zermatten impressed the Board of Directors with her people-oriented leadership, her extensive management experience in an international setting, and her strong ties to the Valais region.
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