The Federal Council is ending the sectoral plan process for the reutilization of the Dübendorf Air Base into a civilian airfield with federal military base. This decision was taken on account of the greatly changed circumstances at the outset, as the Federal Council explained in a press release.
The Federal Council had decided in 2014 that the Dübendorf Air Base would be repurposed with mixed civil and military use as a national innovation park, federal military base and civilian airfield. The civilian airfield was to be operated by Flugplatz Dübendorf AG. The environment and transport department was to work with the defense department to draw up the planning and secure contracts.
However, the Swiss government feels the situation has now changed significantly. First, Flugplatz Dübendorf AG was demanding an operating concession rather than the intended operating license. In this way, the company wanted to protect itself against potential legal action from private landowners about low-flying aircraft in take-off and landing. These were certainly to be expected, because the plans for the civil airfield as they stood were being rejected by the municipalities of Dübendorf, Volketswil and Wangen-Brüttisellen. Second, further planning showed that flight operations in Dübendorf would for safety reasons require greater coordination with Zurich Airport than had initially been anticipated. The judgement of the administrative court of the canton of Zurich in July 2020 also slammed on the brakes for plans to build an innovation park on the site in Dübendorf.
“For the Federal Council, it is therefore not realistic to persevere with the existing concept,” the press release stated. The collaboration with Flugplatz Dübendorf AG was terminated. In the Federal Council meeting on 14 October, the canton of Zurich instead tasked the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications with instead participating in a conceptual restart of the planning process.
Flugplatz Dübendorf AG reported in a press release that it was “dismayed” by the decision of the Federal Council. It found it regrettable but would nonetheless do all it could to ensure the collaboration ended in a respectful and constructive way.
