Next mega project Zurich Airport is building new parking spaces - although the canton says no

Zurich Airport wants to create hundreds of new parking spaces. But the canton of Zurich, itself the airport's largest shareholder, tried to prevent the expansion - without success.

Zurich Airport is allowed to expand its parking capacity. The Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (Uvek) under Federal Councillor Albert Rösti has approved the construction of 862 additional parking spaces - even though the Canton of Zurich, which is the largest single shareholder in Flughafen Zürich AG, opposed the project.

This was reported by the Aargauer Zeitung. In July, the airport reported a new passenger record: 3.26 million travelers used the Swiss hub in just one month. According to the airport, around 54 percent of passengers arrive by car. This means that the existing parking spaces are increasingly reaching their limits.

Canton disagrees - federal government decides otherwise

The P65 parking project, which costs around five million Swiss francs, plans to expand existing areas by almost 900 spaces - primarily for long-term parkers. While the airport argued that there was an undersupply of over 1,300 spaces, the cantonal Kobu office calculated differently and demanded an environmental impact assessment.

The Federal Office for the Environment and the Federal Office of Civil Aviation also initially had reservations. However, after a detailed recalculation, the airport was able to demonstrate that the number of parking spaces was below the approved limit. The Uvek followed this presentation and approved the expansion without further examination.

Next project already in sight

But the parking space debate is unlikely to end there. Because the airport is planning another project in the medium term: the P9 multi-storey parking lot with up to 3,000 spaces on 13 floors. According to the Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper from Opfikon, this would require the clearing of around 30,000 square meters of forest.

"Our aim is to continue to absorb the growth in traffic disproportionately with public transport," emphasizes airport spokeswoman Livia Caluori. Nevertheless, there is still a need for parking spaces - especially at peak times.

The federal government's decision means that the airport now has a clear path for the current project. However, the discussion about environmental regulations and sustainability could flare up again for the planned large parking lot.