Night-time curfew
A strict night-time curfew is in place at Zurich Airport. A ban on flights between 11:30 p.m. and 06:00 a.m. has been in force since 29 July 2010; the time between 11:00 p.m and 11:30 p.m. may only be used to reduce backlogs of delayed flights.
Each additional extension to the night-time restrictions makes it more difficult to maintain a hub at Zurich Airport. A hub is simply a base for short and long-haul traffic that enables connections.
Long-haul connections at the beginning and end of the day are essential as short-haul flights within Europe are coordinated with them and must remain competitive in comparison to other airports.
An even longer night-time curfew would lead to fewer direct connections, making Zurich Airport less attractive as a traffic centre.
Comparison of curfews:
| Airport | Capacity1 | Hours of unrestricted operation |
General ban on night-time flights |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Amsterdam |
108 |
06:00 a.m. - 11.00 p.m. |
No2 |
|
Paris CDG |
97 |
06:00 a.m. - 11.15 p.m. |
No2 |
|
Copenhagen |
83 |
06:00 a.m. - 11.00 p.m. |
No2 |
|
Munich |
82 |
06:00 a.m. - 10.00 p.m. |
No, noise quota |
|
London LHR |
81 |
07:00 a.m. - 11.00 p.m. |
No, noise quota |
|
Frankfurt |
81 |
05:00 a.m. - 11.00 p.m. |
11:00 p.m. - 05:00 a.m. |
|
Madrid |
78 |
07:00 a.m. - 11.00 p.m. |
No2 |
|
Milan |
70 |
06:30 a.m. - 11.30 p.m. |
No2 |
|
Brussels |
68 |
24h |
No2 |
|
Zurich |
68 |
06:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. |
11:30 p.m. - 06:00 a.m. |
|
Vienna |
68 |
05:00 a.m. - 09:30 p.m. |
No2 |
2 Possible restrictions on the number of flight movements