Zone West –aviation development area

Current situation

Current situation In December 2013 DETEC approved Flughafen Zürich AG’s “Zone West, extension of apron areas” plan to construct either 14 Code C or 8 Code C plus up to 5 Code E stands. In the first phase 1.1 of the project in 2016 and 2017, two new stands were built and put into operation. Owing to the existing and increasing demand for stands, construction of the remaining approved stands will now go ahead.

Project description

Phase 1.2 encompasses around 10 hectares of new paved surfaces to the west of the stands already built in phase 1.1. The new stands and service areas are located to either side of the new stand taxilanes. The row of stands to the south is intended for handling Code C and Code E aircraft. The project layout has been optimised for operation and flexibility. As a result of extending the apron areas it is also necessary to redesign the viewing platform on “plane spotters’ hill” and the “Heli Grill” built in 2017 and move them to a new location. In future they will be about 300 metres north of their current location, i.e. closer to and directly overlooking the runway intersection. After a two-year break due to the corona pandemic, construction work resumed at the beginning of 2023. The new stands are to be realized by the fall of 2024.

Current situation

In recent years it has become apparent that Zurich Airport is no longer able to meet the demand for hangar space for business aviation due to the changes in the business aviation segment and the increasingly larger types of aircraft used for this purpose. In addition, the re-routing of Runway 28 requires the replacement of buildings, hangars and stands for Business Aviation. For this reason, Flughafen Zürich AG submitted a building construction project to the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) for approval before the corona pandemic.

Project description

The planned building construction project is located to the west of the new apron and will be connected to it by hangar forecourts. On the landside, access to the building will be along the Glatt with an extension of Rohrstrasse. The construction project also includes parking spaces. The project requires adjustments due to changes in user requirements. These plans have not yet been completed. Therefore, the planning approval procedure is currently suspended at the federal government.