Flughafen Zürich AG

Flughafen Zürich AG (FZAG), based in Kloten, is the owner and operator of Zürich Airport. The mixed-economy stock company was established in April 2000 and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange; the largest individual shareholder is the Canton of Zürich, which must hold at least one third of the share capital at all times.

From its founding until April 2010, FZAG was nicknamed Unique, while in official publications the name Unique (Flughafen Zürich AG) was used; the Unique brand is now only used for activities abroad.

Zürich Airport AG was founded to what it is today on 1 April 2000, through the fusion of the airport real estate company (Flughafen-Immobilien-Gesellschaft FIG) and the Zürich airport directorate (Flughafendirektion Zürich FDZ).

The airport real estate company FIG, whose roots date back to November 1948, was lastly a stock company (since 1984) based in Kloten, and was responsible for the construction and operation of buildings at the airport. Significant shareholders of the FIG were the Canton of Zürich (23 percent) and the city of Zürich (18 percent).

The Zürich Airport Directorate was affiliated to the Cantonal Economics Directorate and the formal owner of the airport as a whole. Its responsibilities included the construction and operation of the civil engineering works (slopes, taxiways), the airport operation, the negotiation and implementation of the company regulations and the political representation of the airport.

The privatization of the FIG and the steady growth of the airport led to the political advance of Zürich Airport becoming independent and the FDZ was removed from the cantonal administration and merged with the FIG. A new airport act was drafted on the initiative and approved by the Cantonal Council with 60 percent yes votes on 12 July, 1999. The airport act was submitted to the Zürich voters for approval on 28 November and accepted by them with 61 per cent of votes.

This created the basis for the new company, and the new Airport Act came into effect on 1 March 2000. Based on three merger agreements between the FIG and the Canton of Zürich, an increase in the share capital from originally 70 million (140,000 registered shares of 500 Swiss francs) to a new 245'615,000 Swiss francs (4'912'300 registered shares of 50 Swiss francs) was made, and the FDZ was integrated into the FIG, which commenced operations on 1 April as Flughafen Zürich AG (FZAG).

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