Quality improvements to the public areas at Zurich Airport
Starting in November 2022, Airport Shopping at Zurich Airport will undergo renovations. The project includes more spacious passenger routes, new retail spaces and a food hall. The opening of the new areas is planned for 2026.
Every day, over 100,000 persons use the public areas of Zurich Airport. In addition to arriving or departing passengers, these include commuters, employees and visitors at Airport Shopping and the Circle. In order to better handle passenger and commuter flows, Airport Shopping will undergo a multi-stage renovation.
Elimination of bottlenecks
The ongoing development of the public areas will eliminate existing bottlenecks and provide sufficient room for passenger flows.
The redesign of the pedestrian routes will result in a qualitative and quantitative improvement for all users who use the trains, buses, car parks and Terminals 1 and 2. The Circle will also be connected in an intuitive and seamless manner to Airport Shopping and can be reached without getting wet.
Thanks to the redesign, the current bottleneck at the convergence point of Airport Shopping with Check-in 1 and Arrival 1 will expanded. The delivery points will also be improved. Delivery vehicles for land- and airside retail and catering establishments will be routed directly from Flughafenstrasse via a new underground delivery channel, thus taking pressure off the curbside lanes.
A better-quality experience and expansion of the commercial offering
The Airport Shopping is already a popular shopping centre in the Zurich Unterland region. Once the new parts are commissioned in 2026, it will feature generously sized shops along the new passenger routes that will enhance the existing commercial offering with new, attractive brands and providers. The retail spaces will be expanded by around one third. Spacious zones with seating will allow visitors to spend time and enjoy a better shopping experience at Zurich Airport.
Food hall as core of the project
A bright hall will be created between car parks P1 and P2 on the bus terminal level.
A food hall covering around 2000m2 will offer a wide range of culinary choices at the heart of the landside traffic hub. The 15 or so different food stalls and food trucks with highlights from around the world will invite passengers and visitors to spend time at Zurich Airport and to discover new food trends.
The twelve-metre-high hall will be on two levels. The lower level offers a tour of the culinary offering, while the gallery is quieter and features a view of the hustle and bustle between the food stalls, food trucks and the bar. In fine weather, the outdoor terrace and planted side terraces provide a space to spend some time.
Construction work in stages
The project harks back to the project competition put out to tender in 2014. The excavation work on the project commenced in early 2020. Owing to the pandemic, the construction project was delayed and will resume in November 2022 with the preparatory work. In order to disrupt the airport operations as little as possible, the construction will take place in stages. The opening of the new retail areas and the food hall is planned for 2026 and is also set to take place in stages. The cost of all improvements is estimated at CHF 250 million.
