Zurich Airport Tries to Calm Neighbours

February 18, 2004 
 
Zurich Airport Tries to Calm Neighbours
swissinfo, Switzerland  

 
Zurich’s international airport, facing pressure and
criticism from all sides, has presented its proposal
for new operational guidelines.
 
The airport’s management said it wants to improve
conditions for its neighbours, who have regularly
voiced their displeasure in recent months. 
 
The importance given to the new guidelines was
highlighted on Tuesday, when the head of the Federal
Transport Office made the trip to Zurich to discuss
them.

“Even when we are discussing the new alpine rail
tunnels, we always remain in Bern,” said Max Friedli,
who is also the interim director of the Federal Office
for Civil Aviation (FOCA).

Friedli travelled to the airport to explain the
details of the procedure that should lead to the
approval of the guidelines. 

Presented by the management, these are mainly an
update of an earlier set of guidelines, which needed
to be adapted, especially after the introduction of
flight restrictions over southern Germany.
 
Criticism
 
Unique’s director, Josef Felder, has been fielding a
barrage of criticism in the past few days, following
media reports about delays at the airport and a
near-miss between two aircraft last August.

Following this incident, the FOCA increased the
minimum flying distance between aircraft, cutting
capacity at the airport, which chose not to reveal the
change at the time.

“We did not hide anything and we don’t accept
criticism for something we are not responsible for,”
said Felder. “We only supply infrastructure, whereas
air traffic control is Skyguide’s business and
surveillance is FOCA’s.”

Felder also defended his management team from some of
the more personal attacks seen recently, calling for a
wider discussion on the airport’s role. “We need a
clear policy, and a proper debate on what the Swiss
expect from this airport,” he added.
 
Changes
 
Besides setting a limit of 350,000 aircraft movements
per year, the biggest change set out in the new
guidelines is that planes in holding patterns will be
restricted to Swiss airspace and no longer have access
to Germany as of early next year.

Moving holding pattern zones from one country to
another will not prove to be particularly difficult,
but other changes at Unique airport have made
operations more difficult.

Management says it faces Europe’s toughest noise
restrictions, making it the only airfield to shut down
its runways overnight.

Zurich is also the airport that enjoys the fewest
hours of unrestricted operations, from seven in the
morning to nine o’clock at night.

These restrictions, along with some new ones, will be
part and parcel of the new guidelines. The runways
will only open at six in the morning, and fewer planes
will land or take off in the evening.

“Altogether, our neighbours will get another hour and
a half’s respite,” said Felder.

For people living under the new southern approach
imposed by the German authorities, this won’t actually
mean any change. No planes land before six in the
morning.

Following last August’s near-miss, the airport’s
management has revised the flight paths for takeoffs –
normal and emergency - on two almost-parallel runways.
It is hoping that these revised procedures will be
enough to convince the FOCA to lift its December
restrictions.
 
Outrage
 
Locals living under the southern approach have already
criticised the new guidelines, warning that will only
lead to an increase in noise and disturbances.

Representatives of an association defending residents’
interests said they were outraged that the airport has
presented its proposed operational guidelines before
talks about ongoing disturbances had even begun.

The guidelines, which will be submitted for public
criticism from March to May, are only intended for use
until these talks are over according to Max Friedli,
but he added these rules would have no influence over
future guidelines.

If they are given the go-ahead by the FOCA in November
at the latest, the guidelines should go into effect
next year.
 
 
 
 

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