Thanks in no small part to Swiss International Airlines' hub operations, direct flights leave Zurich Airport bound for major cities in Europe and throughout the world on a daily basis. Zurich Airport has thus made itself very accessible to the greater Zurich area as well as other parts of Switzerland. This is an important locational factor and has played an important role in turning Switzerland into a particularly attractive business location.

This degree of accessibility also has a positive impact on foreign tourism in Switzerland. At least one third of all international visitors travel to Switzerland by plane. Tourists from distant growth markets value the direct connections and incorporate them into their travel plans. Without good direct connections, there is a risk that the number of foreign tourists could decline, in particular groups of visitors from the Far East.

However, Zurich Airport not only guarantees good accessibility for Switzerland, it is also an important business location in its own right. 280 companies are represented at Zurich Airport, employing more than 27,000 people in total. The expansion, maintenance and operation of the entire infrastructure generates millions of euros worth of additional contracts and investments each year, which mostly benefit companies and people from the region. As a private company, Flughafen Zürich AG bears full responsibility for financing these investments and receives no subsidies.

Air freight is also important to Switzerland as a business location and to the Swiss economy. Zurich Airport is the most important air freight location in Switzerland and processes just under three-quarters of Switzerland's entire air freight.