From Kloten swamp to Swiss hub
Zurich Airport opened in 1948 on former marshland near the town of Kloten, replacing the small airfield at Dübendorf. It became the home of Swissair, and after Swissair’s collapse in 2001, of Swiss International Air Lines, now part of the Lufthansa Group. The airport has a reputation for efficiency, with the Airside Center and the Circle complex built around a compact layout.
What you’ll see on the live cams
The schedule is built around Swiss’s waves: banks of European arrivals feed long-haul departures to North America, Asia and Africa. Expect lots of Swiss Airbus A220s, along with 777s, A330s and A340s, plus Edelweiss leisure flights. Every January, private jets flood in for the World Economic Forum in Davos, a highlight for spotters.
The runway concept
ZRH has three runways: 10/28, 14/32 and 16/34. They cross each other, so they cannot all be used independently. A typical day looks like this: early morning arrivals on 34 from the north, daytime arrivals on 14 with departures from 16 and 28, and evening arrivals on 28 from the east. Bad weather and strong winds can change the pattern, and controllers on the ATC streams handle each switch.
Best times to watch
- 06:00–07:30: long-haul arrivals from Asia and North America.
- Midday: a busy European wave and long-haul departures.
- Clear Föhn days: the best Alpine backdrop.
