The first beginnings of Swiss aviation
In Switzerland, the use of aircraft for private passenger transport began in 1919. One year later, the Federal Aviation Office (1903–1972) was founded by the Federal Council within the Department of Posts and Railways. Since then, the state has been responsible for the legislation and supervision of aviation. It coordinates agreements with other countries, gives operating licences to airlines and airports, draws up regulations for noise protection and air pollution control, and also takes financial support from Swiss airlines.
In 1931, Swissair was founded from the merger of Balair and Ad Astra Aero and had its headquarters in Zurich. After the Second World War, Swiss aviation experienced significant progress with the expansion of the three main airports of Zurich, Basel-Mulhouse, and Geneva-Cointrin, as well as the gradual expansion of Swissair’s route network and fleet.
Long history of Zurich Airport
In 1945, the Federal Council decided to build its own airport for public aviation and chose Zurich-Kloten as the site. After the funds to be made available had been agreed upon, construction of the airport could begin in 1946. The first aircraft were able to take off and land in 1948. In 1953, the airport was inaugurated with a large celebration, and the first terminal was also built. The airport was expanded not only because of the increasing number of passengers, but also because of the increased transport of goods and the need for higher security standards.
Noise protection ordinances were issued as early as 1974, as aircraft noise began to disturb people. For this reason, the flight routes were also changed.
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In 2001, the airport suffered a considerable shock as Swissair could no longer pay its bills and was thus no longer allowed to fly (grounding). Swiss was then founded, which is now part of the German airline Lufthansa.
One of Europe’s leading airports
Zurich Airport is currently the largest airport in Switzerland. More than 72 airlines connect you with 185 international destinations. SWISS, Switzerland’s largest airline, has its main airport in Zurich and handles about 50 percent of the flights. With more than 27,000 employees, Zurich Airport is an important economic factor in the region and generates an added value of 5 billion Swiss francs.
In 2022, the airport was awarded the World Travel Award in the category “leading airport in Europe” for the 19th time in a row (since 2004). Zurich Airport is listed among the 10 best airports in the world by millions of travellers every year, and in 2017 it was first in the “20–30 million passengers” category. Compared to the same month last year, the number of passengers at Zurich Airport increased by around 20 percent to 2.6 million in June 2023.
