Approaching Zurich Airport over the southern German village of Hohentengen on the High Rhine.image: alex spichale
The anger is great. The government in Berlin should block the Swiss Federal Council’s plan. What is the reason for this?
March 7, 2026, 10:53 amMarch 7, 2026, 10:53 am
“This is not the appropriate way for two friendly states to coexist,” says Martin Kistler. As district administrator, he is the highest representative of the southern German district of Waldshut with 175,000 residents. Kistler is irritated by the actions of the Swiss authorities. The district administrators of Konstanz and the Schwarzwald-Baar district are too.
What is the reason for the anger? Zurich Airport wants to change its operating regulations. The Federal Office of Civil Aviation has published the regulations. Versions from 2014 and 2017 will be reactivated.
It is said north of the Rhine that the regulations have already failed
Martin Kistler criticizes: Firstly, the German side was not informed about the plan. Secondly, the regulations would lead to an increased burden of aircraft noise on the three southern German districts. There is a risk of increased channeling of flights in the north of Zurich Airport. “The three affected German districts on the Swiss border firmly reject this.”
Thirdly, the Waldshut district filed a lawsuit against the operating regulations – and the Swiss Federal Administrative Court approved the complaint. “It is not appropriate to pull a concept out of the drawer that has already failed,” emphasizes Kistler.
In order for the new regulations to come into force at Zurich Airport, the approval of the German federal government is required. Representatives of the three affected districts are therefore intensifying their contacts with Berlin. An important contact person is Thorsten Frei (CDU), the head of the Federal Chancellery. He coordinates the work of the federal government – and comes from Bad Säckingen. The small town on the Rhine is located in the Waldshut district.
Waldshut district administrator Martin Kistler is irritated by the actions of the Swiss authorities.Image: Peter Schütz
What does the Swiss side say about the allegations made by southern German officials? The department of Federal Councilor Albert Rösti (SVP) is responsible for transport matters. It states: The Federal Office of Civil Aviation publicly displayed the documents on the 2014/2017 operating regulations in order to obtain comments – including potential objections from areas near the border. A formal preliminary consultation with German authorities is not planned.
When reinstating the operating regulations, the Federal Office took into account the fact that the Federal Administrative Court had declared parts of the regulations ineffective. The supplemented application explicitly addresses these deficiencies. “It is a revised application, not a mere reactivation.”
The new regulations are intended to separate arrival and departure routes around Kloten. This will increase safety and contribute to the stability of flight operations.
There are also opponents of the new procedure in Switzerland
But there is resistance to the new procedure not only in southern Germany. At Bise, it envisages southerly takeoffs, after which the aircraft initially fly straight ahead – over densely populated areas. In the city of Zurich and on the right bank of Lake Zurich, many people don’t think this is a good idea.
Waldshut district administrator Martin Kistler says: It would be good if Switzerland and Germany negotiated a state treaty to regulate air traffic again. Two attempts have already failed. In 2002, the Swiss Parliament rejected a treaty negotiated by the two governments. The small chamber of the German parliament, the Bundesrat, spoke out against the agreement for ten years. For the Rösti department, a new state treaty is not a priority. What is more important is a reduction in the number of route intersections over Zurich Airport – as provided for in the new operating regulations.
Operation in Kloten is complicated for two reasons: Two slopes intersect. And due to the German flight regulations, which have been in force since the failure of the first treaty, the arrival and departure routes have to be changed several times a day.
The new operating regulations are intended to simplify things. The southern German districts want to prevent this. Waldshut District Administrator Martin Kistler traveled to Berlin in the middle of the week, together with his counterparts from Konstanz and Schwarzwald-Baar. They met the German Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU). The message to him was clear: Berlin should once again reject Bern’s new plan for new operating regulations at Zurich Airport. (aargauerzeitung.ch)