As travel takes off, Zurich Airport seizes chance to plot future growth
- In 2020, flight traffic was drastically reduced, with passenger numbers tumbling to 8.3 million from 2019’s all-time high of just over 31.5 million.
- As travel and quarantine restrictions ease, passenger numbers and freight volumes are climbing steadily, lending optimism to expansion plans
In common with similar facilities around the world, Zurich Airport was hit hard by Covid-19 in 2020. Flight traffic was drastically reduced and terminal buildings presented vast empty spaces as passenger numbers tumbled to 8.3 million from 2019’s all-time high of just over 31.5 million.
However, by the second half of 2021, as travel and quarantine restrictions gradually eased, a post-pandemic rebound was already well under way.
On peak autumn days last year, passenger totals were back up to 65 per cent of pre-crisis levels, freight volumes were climbing steadily, and there was a renewed sense of optimism about prospects for future growth and expansion.
“From a business management perspective, the considerable planning uncertainty was a major challenge,” says Stephan Widrig, chief executive of Flughafen Zürich AG, reflecting on progress and developments. “I am therefore all the more delighted that we and our partners at the airport were able to ensure that operations ran smoothly for the most part.”
Importantly, he noted, by the end of 2021, around 90 per cent of destinations served from Zurich were up and running again, using 2019 figures as the point of comparison. And all the other key metrics were firmly back on track, including transfer passengers, cargo tonnage, and flight movements, which at 132,600, were up 19 per cent from 2020.
Assuming no other major disruptions, Widrig currently expects total passenger numbers to keep rising to around 20 million this year, which should also coincide with a return to profit after the full-year loss of CHF10 million (HK$78.44 million) reported for 2021.
