On the site of the future Zurich-Kloten Airport in canton Zurich - a former shooting range - experts carry out a thorough survey of the land, August 21, 1946.
Keystone / Fritz Grunder
Surveying work on the construction site of Zurich-Kloten Airport in 1947.
Keystone / Matter
Forests were cut down to prepare for the construction of the main runway and a railway leading to Zurich-Kloten Airport, August 21, 1946.
Keystone / Fritz Grunder
Workers in front of the concrete factory at the construction site of Zurich-Kloten Airport in 1947.
Keystone / Matter
A model of the planned Zurich-Kloten Airport, January 16, 1946.
Keystone / Fritz Grunder
At the Zurich-Kloten Airport construction site, a pulley block is used to install a pipe to collect water, August 21, 1946.
Keystone / Fritz Grunder
Workers at the construction site of Zurich-Kloten airport, August 21, 1946.
Keystone / Fritz Grunder
A steamroller and workers at the construction site of Zurich-Kloten Airport in 1947.
Keystone / Matter
Seventy-five years ago, work began on the construction of Zurich Airport, which quickly grew to become Switzerland’s busiest aviation hub.
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On May 5, 1946, Zurich voters approved a project to build a new international airport in German-speaking Switzerland to rival Geneva Airport in the French-speaking region. Two months later the diggers moved in to start work on swampy land at Kloten, north of Zurich city centre.
On June 14, 1948, a ceremony was held at the new Zurich-Kloten Airport to mark the official opening of the airport’s first runway, a 1,900-metre long track.
Although it was a modestly sized airport when it was built, Zurich has progressively expanded over the next decades.
It is now the biggest in the country ahead of Geneva and Basel airports. Before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, flight traffic at Zurich Airport hit an all-time high in 2019 when 31.5 million passengers passed through the facility and there were 275,000 flight movements.
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Zurich airport plans runway upgrades
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The operators of Switzerland’s main airport, in Zurich, have presented plans to extend two runways, re-igniting a controversy over noise pollution.
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Switzerland’s largest international airport posted a loss in 2020, hit hard by an almost 75% historic slump in traffic due to the pandemic.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.