Zurich Airport

Zurich Airport represents the most significant international airport in the country and the principal hub of Swiss International Air Lines. The facility serves Zürich, Switzerland’s largest city, and, with its surface transport links, much of the rest of Switzerland.

Zurich Airport

Zurich Airport represents the most significant international airport in the country and the principal hub of Swiss International Air Lines. The facility serves Zürich, Switzerland’s largest city, and, with its surface transport links, much of the rest of Switzerland.

In 2019, the facility received the World Travel Award in the category “Europe’s leading airport” for the 17th time in a row. The Skytrax Award also rates ZRH among the top 10 airports in the world for millions of commuters each year.

Early years

The first flight abroad from the country landed in 1921. During the early years of aviation, the Dübendorf Air Base, located approximately 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) to the south-east of Zurich Airport, also operated as the city’s commercial airfield. The demand for a dedicated commercial facility led to the search for a new location at which to establish a replacement airport.

Construction of the facility started the following year.

Initial plans for the airport were centered on facilities capable of handling international airline traffic. Aircraft of about up to 80 tons were envisaged. The primary runway was to be constructed for use in all weather and at night, with a 400-meter wide hard surface running to 3,000 meters in length. Additional 100-meter (330 ft) areas were to be provided for lateral protection in case of runway excursions. Other domestic runways, from 1,000 to 1,400 meters (3,300 and 4,600 ft) in length, were also to be established.

The first flights from the west runway started in 1948. The new terminal became available in 1953 with a big air show that ran three days. In 1947, the facility handled 133,638 commuters on 12,766 airline flights; in 1952, 372,832 travelers on 24,728 airline flights. The first extension of the airport was submitted in 1956; the Swiss government approved the budget dedicated to the expansion in 1958, and the expansion was finished in 1961.

Reconstructions

The facility was again submitted and approved for reconstructions in 1970, and Terminal B was finished in 1971. The very first signs of noise mitigation for the facility were in 1972, when a night-time curfew was established, as well as in 1974, when new approach routes were introduced. Runway 14/32 at the airport was opened in 1976, and the same year 16/34 started renovations.