ZURICH - The renewal of Zurich Airport's underground shuttle is advancing on schedule. The Goldau-based cable car and funicular specialist Garaventa announced the completion of the first of two conversion stages on the Skymetro, the driverless train that carries passengers between the main terminal and the satellite dock. One tunnel tube has been refitted with new technology and is back in operation.
The work is not finished. The second stage of the rebuild is due to start in November 2026, when the project's attention shifts to the parallel tube. Splitting the modernisation into two steps allows the airport to keep the vital link running throughout, an arrangement that travellers have come to take for granted but that constrains every hour of construction.
A record start to the autumn holidays
The infrastructure milestone lands in a busy month. On 4 October, at the peak of the autumn holiday rush, the airport handled more than 123,000 passengers in a single day, according to provisional figures from the operator. Confirmed numbers are due in mid-November, when the regular monthly traffic statistics are published. If the preliminary count holds, it will rank among the busiest days in the airport's history.
The strong traffic stands in contrast to a more cautious market view. On Tuesday, the analysis house Barclays cut its price target for Flughafen Zurich shares from CHF 215 to CHF 200, keeping an Equal Weight rating. The bank pointed to weaker forecasts for traffic and international results, including a slower passenger ramp-up at the group's airport project in Noida, India.
Growing pains of a hub
The airport's investment programme extends well beyond the Skymetro, as passenger numbers press against the limits of terminals designed for a smaller era. Record days like 4 October strengthen the case for expansion that the operator has been making for years, while neighbours and environmental groups continue to contest noise and emissions. Zurich's aviation debate has grown quieter since the pandemic collapse, but it has not gone away.
For passengers, the near-term effect of the Skymetro work is simple: the shuttle keeps running, the second tube closes in November, and the walk to the satellite gates stays short. For the operator, the rebuild is one more piece of the puzzle as Zurich positions itself for the traffic levels that days like this month's record suggest are here to stay.