Swiss population ‘proud of flying’ – not ashamed

Swiss population tends to be proud of flying instead of ashamed of flying Keystone-SDA

A majority of the Swiss population is against stricter rules such as shorter operating hours and flight taxes, according to a study commissioned by the Swiss aviation association, Aviationsuisse.

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In general, 61% of the population rated air travel as positive, the association said in a press release. The survey, conducted by the Sotomo research institute, found that only 28% of respondents felt ashamed when booking a flight, while 55% said they were proud of Swiss aviation.

For 76% of those surveyed, the short journey time was the most important reason for choosing a plane. Price, on the other hand, only played a decisive role for a quarter of respondents.

The majority of respondents were against changing the operating hours at airports. Some 57% considered the current night-time regulations to be “exactly right”, while around a fifth wanted adjustments in one direction or the other.

Stricter regulations to protect the climate and environment were desired by 45% of respondents. When it comes to climate protection, the population is primarily in favour of technological solutions such as “more efficient aircraft” and “sustainable fuels”, according to the study report. In contrast, 71% believed a CO2 tax on flight tickets would have little or no effect.

At 72%, a large majority saw the “international level” as being responsible for climate protection. The airlines (46%), national politicians (44%) and individual travellers (38%) were mentioned less frequently.

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Opinion on the expansion of infrastructure was divided. Some 52% of respondents were in favour of expanding the airport infrastructure if people fly more or more goods are transported.

The survey was conducted between January 22 and February 5. Some 3,700 adults from German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland took part. Around a third were residents of the Zurich, Basel and Geneva airport regions.

Translated from German by AI/mga

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