Will soaring jet fuel prices affect air travel to and from Switzerland, and why marriage to a Swiss citizen doesn’t always lead to naturalisation — these are among the news that The Local reported this week. You can catch up on everything in this weekly roundup.
Will soaring jet fuel prices affect air travel to and from Switzerland
Due to continued war in the Middle East, aviation fuel supplies are tightening, with many airlines cutting flights and raising fares.
So far, the supply of fuel at Switzerland’s airports is sufficient, though SWISS spokesperson said the situation could change “at short notice.”
However, both SWISS and Edelweiss airlines are increasing their surcharges to compensate for more expensive fuel, which means travellers will have to pay more for their tickets,
READ MORE: Will travellers in Switzerland be affected by Europe’s looming jet fuel crisis?
Marriage to a Swiss citizen doesn’t always lead to naturalisation
Most foreigners who wed Swiss nationals are granted citizenship through a simplified naturalisation process.
There are, however, a number of cases on record where migration authorities refuse to naturalise foreign spouses.
This happens when marriages are determined to be ‘fake’ – that is, foreigners marry Swiss with the express purpose of settling in Switzerland and eventually becoming citizens.
In such cases, naturalisation applications are not only rejected, but marriages concluded on this basis and citizenships obtained in this way – are revoked.
READ MORE: Why marrying a Swiss person doesn’t guarantee you citizenship
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How immigration changes Swiss population landscape
According to a report by the Avenir-Suisse think tank, “As more immigrants become citizens, the statistical boundary between ‘foreign nationals’ and ‘Swiss’ is increasingly blurred.”
In other words, without tens of thousands of people changing their legal status each year from foreigners to citizens, “the number of Swiss citizens would have declined since the early 1990s, and the share of foreign residents would stand at about 39 instead of the current 27 percent.”
READ MORE: How naturalisation has shifted Switzerland’s population balance
Plans to make Switzerland’s most accident-prone roads safer for motorists
Over the past several years, the Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) has identified nearly 950 high-accident zones on Switzerland’s road network.
Three sections in particular are a among most dangerous, with a particularly high number of accidents occurring there: Wangen-Brüttisellen (Zurich), Gubrist Gateway (Zurich), and Egerkingen Junction (Solothurn).
As a priority, ASTRA is planning to create an additional lane at the Wangen exit off the A1 motorway to absorb traffic and help it flow more easily.
READ MORE: Swiss government vows to improve safety on country’s most dangerous roads
Government reveals new information about non-EU nationals in Switzerland
A new report from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) sheds light on the non-EU/EFTA nationals who worked in Switzerland in 2025.
A total of 6,591 work permits were issued to these people last year; 764 of these permits were given to UK nationals and 5,827 to people from other third countries.
Most were employed in the IT, in business consultancy, in research, in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, as well as in finance/banking sectors.
READ MORE: What do we know about all the non-EU nationals working in Switzerland?
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Former local official is mum when questioned about deadly fire
A former fire safety official in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana remained silent when questioned by prosecutors investigating a deadly New Year blaze.
“The hearing lasted only 15-20 minutes because the defendant refused to cooperate after being informed of the charges,” Robert Assael, one of the lawyers for the civil parties in the case, told AFP.
A total of 41 people — most of them teenagers — were killed and another 115 were injured in the disaster.