EuropEan
Zurich International Airport
Feature
ZURICH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Made, Swiss
world acclaimed Zurich is one of the world’s top airports, famed for its efficiency, human scale and air of sophistication. And new developments have reenforced its elite reputation among business and leisure travellers. CEO Thomas E. Kern talks about the international airport with the Swiss Quality touch. By Colin Chinery
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n Switzerland, says Harry Lime in the film ‘The Third Man’, they had brotherly love, 500 years of democracy and peace. “And what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.” But the clock has long timed out. Today exports account for 50 percent of Switzerland’s GDP. Medicinal and pharmaceutical products, watches and clocks, technology for special industry and metalworking machinery and tools move from the Alpine nation to discriminating customers. And Lime got it wrong: cuckoo clocks are from Black Forest, and ‘Swiss Made’ a globally recognised guarantee of precision and excellence. Qualities that make Zurich International Airport (ZRH) a world favourite, celebrated for passenger services and high standards. “A great airport, with excellent connections,” says top British travel writer Simon Calder. The travel industry concurs. In the World Travel Awards – the Oscars of the
sorting system, and for the second time in a travel industry - Zurich has won the ‘Europe’s row we have won the Skytrax award for the Leading Airport’ title for eight years in a row. best worldwide baggage sorting system. If you And the awards roll on; Business Traveller fly into Zurich, your guaranteed minimum Award for best transfer airport in Europe, connecting time is 40 minutes, and you have and second in the category ‘Best Airport in the best guarantee that you bag will join you!” the World.’ says Kern. Ten kilometres north of the city of Zurich, Dock B also has a compelling visitor Zurich Airport is Switzerland’s largest attraction – an observation deck. Each year international gateway and hub for Swiss more than 300,000 aviation enthusiasts and International Airlines. Its three runways families visit the airport for a sight of the and 100-plus passenger gateways. It serves airplanes. On the 250-metre-long roof terrace domestic flights and top flag-carrying airlines media installations and exhibits broaden the to cities and major towns across the globe. And experience with facts about the airport and with passenger volumes up 6.4 percent to 24.3 flight operations and special features for million last year – 40 percent business travel, younger visitors. 60 percent leisure – Zurich is flying high and At four observation points rising. “We are a Swiss quality guests can use a medial telescope airport and the strategy is to stay a to observe the airport grounds and Swiss quality airport,” says Zurich interactively request additional Airport CEO Thomas E. Kern. “The ASQ information about the airport Two recent developments (Airport and flight operations. The real ensure it remains so; the new Service environment is viewed through Dock B, and a purpose building the Airport Scopes, with airplanes for centralised security controls. Quality) and airport buildings virtually With 26 lines on four floors, it Awards survey tagged. Six of the electronic places security control at the start always says displays show technical details of the process. ”At other airports it we have and information on parked comes somewhat in between the aircraft, while insights into check-in and gate. We put it at the very reliable the flight operations - take-off very beginning which makes us connection preparation for example - are very flexible and reduces waiting time” provided on glass panels. “It’s all time for our passengers to less about the fascination for flying than five minutes – and it’s mostly made visible and tangible for our zero or two minutes.” A positive airport fans,” Kern explains. Quality prevails in for passengers, the new start through to finish every detail, be it for passengers or visitors. system also increases revenue by expanding It’s a quality that has recently drawn time spent in the Airport’s attractive Airside leading international hotel operator Hyatt to Centre in the passenger area. the Airport, with management agreement for The new Dock B reinforces Zurich’s a Hyatt Regency and a Hyatt Place hotel in credentials as a quality airport, improving The Circle, one billion Swiss francs mixed use convenience and user-friendliness, not least development designed to be a new service hub following implementation of the Schengen and commercial centre. Agreement abolishing border controls between As well as these two Hyatt-branded hotels, 26 European countries. With Britain a nonThe Circle will feature an innovative mix of signatory British travellers to participant services within an ingenious infrastructure airports - a short flight to Hamburg for instance where upmarket offerings such as hotels, - pass through the non-Schengen floor but restaurants, office and event space engage with within the same building, which means the sophisticated lifestyles. Increasingly, Zurich least inconvenience and delay. lives out the observation that airports are “The ASQ (Airport Service Quality) Awards becoming destinations unto themselves, and survey always says we have very reliable with its unique amenities leads elite including connection times. To be reliable you have to Amsterdam’s Schiphol and Singapore’s Changi have an efficient and dependable baggage 3
ZURICH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
“We have found the right hotel company for our project, Hyatt is a perfect match for our positioning of ‘The Circle,” says Kern. “With this commitment about 25 percent of the total space will be occupied, an important step towards the realization of the project, which should begin next year and – if all goes well - be ready to open a first section in 2017.” Both Hyatt Regency and Hyatt Place are expected to become prime locations for corporate events, conferences and meetings. Zurich of course is among the world’s largest
financial centres and a prime location for corporate and government travellers. And with 50 shops open to passengers throughout the entire travel day - a luxury not afforded to other shops in Zurich – it is seen as a duty-free Eldorado, the combination of low prices and impressive range of products making it a shopping magnet for the business traveller. But there are issues. Zurich International is by far the largest airport in Switzerland (the 4
second biggest, in capital city Geneva, is half the size) and its growth constraints formidable. There is also – and parallel to it - a long-running noise controversy. “Noise is a problem with most of not all airports, but here at Zurich it is accentuated for two reasons,” explains Kern. “The first is that over the last 20 years the Airport has attracted so many people to live close by (24,000 work at the Airport) that we have become a city airport. It wasn’t planned like that; in fact initially it was outside the city. People around the airport are not against the airport but they are against further growth, and this hinders us. “Secondly, the airport is only 15km from the German border and there is an on-going noise-related conflict between Germany and Switzerland. A contract between the two states should be in place mid-year and this would solve this longlasting noise problem. Now while I’m rather optimistic, it’s far away from a solution.” So in 10 years says Kern, Zurich will have a capacity problem. “Currently we have this problem on a peak hour base – about four times a day - but overall we have some spare capacity. However, in 10 years that will be different and we will have reached a ceiling. Without a hub function, Geneva and Basle do not have this kind of capacity issue.” With the city of Zurich as a major shareholder, Zurich Airport’s strategic response to this potential stagnation in profit growth is two-pronged; The Circle and its international business, a portfolio of 10 airports, nine in South America and one in India, Bangalore. If airports give immediate clues to an area’s culture and lifestyle, then Zurich’s elegance,
SSP Switzerland With a heritage stretching over 60 years, today SSP has more than 30,000 employees, serving over five million customers every week. It has business in over 140 airports and more than 250 railway stations, and operates more than 2,150 units in over 30 countries around the world. SSP also has a strong presence in Switzerland with its head office at the Zurich Airport. For more than 9 years, SSP Switzerland has been at the forefront of airside gastronomic business within Zurich airport and currently represents 15 units. To achieve our success SSP Switzerland works closely with its partners to develop, bring to life and operate award winning food and beverage concepts such as the Center Bar which received the FAB Award 2011 for “Best Airport Bar Award”. At the heart of our operations we provide our travelling customers with the best quality product and service at all times to ensure their journey begins and ends with an amazing experience. We achieve this by continuously assessing and improving our offers and adjusting to market and consumer trends. To a large extent this is achieved by simply listening to our customers as well as maintaining and learning from our regular mystery shopping audit.
precision and refinement are visible at its international airport. “It’s the Swissness that differentiates us from other airports whether European or beyond,” says Kern. “We are not too big, we are efficient, we are reliable, you have this sense of personal safety, you won’t lose your bag, you get your connection, and we aim to be friendly, safe and clean.”
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