A forest owner does not like the fact that Flughafen Zürich AG wants to replace the “Heligrill” spotter site with a viewing platform that is to be located further north as part of the “Zone West” construction project. He lodged an appeal against the project.
As a result of the forest owner's appeal, Flughafen Zürich AG is unable to meet the originally announced schedule. New aircraft stands are currently being built in the West Zone at Zurich Airport. For this reason, the "Heligrill" spotter site, which was provisionally created in 2017, has to be relocated. It is planned to set up a new viewing platform a little further north - closer to the piste cross - as a vantage point for spotters. The traditional Heli snack bar is also to be moved to the same location.
"Due to an appeal from a neighboring forest owner that is currently pending with the construction appeals court, the project has now been delayed. The existing spotter hill will be dismantled as planned in September as part of the Zone West construction project, and the Heligrill snack bar will be closed at the end of October. When and whether the new spotter platform can be built and the snack bar can be reopened at the new location is currently not foreseeable due to the pending appeal."
However, spotters can still use the space where the viewing platform is to be built. According to Flughafen Zürich AG, the site is freely accessible and paved. Only the planned platform has to be dispensed with indefinitely. The airport said: “Flughafen Zürich AG regrets that it cannot grant spotters a seamless transition from the spotter hill to the platform as planned”.
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