Switzerland’s biggest airport turns 70
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A view of the construction site in March 1947. Keystone -
Plenty of trees had to be cleared before construction could start. Keystone -
Installing a large pipe for collecting water, August 1946. Keystone -
Taking a welcome water break on the construction site. Keystone -
The first large buildings begin to be constructed, September 1948. Keystone -
Searching for potential unexploded shells, 1946 – the site of the airport had previously served as a shooting range. Keystone -
Steamrolling a smooth and flat runway, 1947. Keystone -
Inspecting the first runway, March 1947. Keystone -
The official inauguration of the airport. Keystone
It’s exactly 70 years since the first flight took off from the brand new tarmac of Zurich Airport. We take a look back at the development of what has since become the biggest airport in Switzerland.
- Deutsch Grösster Schweizer Flughafen bläst 70 Kerzen aus
- Español 70 años del mayor aeropuerto suizo
- Português Maior aeroporto da Suíça comemora 70 anos
- 中文 瑞士最大机场步入古稀之年
- Français Le plus grand aéroport de Suisse souffle ses 70 bougies
- عربي أكبر مطارات سويسرا يطفئ شمعته السبعين
- Pусский Аэропорту Цюрих/Клотен — 70 лет
- Italiano Il più grande aeroporto della Svizzera festeggia 70 anni
On June 14, 1948, a ceremony took place at Zurich-Kloten airport, with speeches made on the tarmac in front of a "Swiss Air Lines"-branded plane. The reason? The official opening of the airport’s first runway, a 1,900-metre long track that had taken two years to build.
And though it was a modestly sized airport at the time of construction, Zurich was progressively expanded over the next decades. Now it is the biggest in the country, far outstripping nearest rival Geneva.
The figures speak for themselves: last month, 2.71 million passengers passed through the airport (about two million who were landing or taking off from Zurich, the rest in transit). In the same month, the airport registered 24,463 flights and processed over 40,000 tonnes of merchandise.
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