Flughafen Zürich AG confirmed on 5 March that a series of mandatory calibration flights will take place between 9 and 17 March—and again, if necessary, on 1–2 April—to test the airport’s instrument-landing systems (ILS) and VOR/DME radio beacons. The Beechcraft King Air-350 test aircraft will fly approaches above, below and lateral to standard paths, some as far as several kilometres outside normal corridors. Operations are scheduled after regular traffic ends but could run until 02:00, potentially generating unexpected noise and slot restrictions for late-evening business flights. (uk.marketscreener.com)
Additional calibration sorties are already booked for 27 April–1 May, when Zurich must validate revisions to the northern approach for Runway 16 to meet new ICAO performance-based-navigation requirements. A further campaign between 8 and 19 June will follow replacement of Runway 28’s glide-path transmitter. Skyguide, Switzerland’s air-navigation agency, is responsible for flight-test planning and will coordinate temporary airspace reservations with German, French and Italian control centres to minimise cross-border impact. (uk.marketscreener.com)
If any of these schedule changes force you to rebook travel or adjust arrival documents at short notice, VisaHQ can expedite the necessary Swiss visas and travel permits online. Their dedicated Switzerland page (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) lets corporate flight departments, crews and passengers secure paperwork quickly, freeing them up to concentrate on slot requests and calibration-flight NOTAMs.
![Zurich Airport announces night-time calibration flights that may affect late arrivals]()
For companies flying corporate jets into Zurich for late-night board meetings or red-eye positioning of crews, the message is clear: request slots early and monitor NOTAMs daily. Scheduled airlines have been asked to flag potential last-minute gate changes to connecting passengers whose itineraries already compressed by the current wave of European delays. Logistics firms that rely on belly-hold cargo from Asia should also anticipate minor reschedulings on inbound freighters.
Noise-sensitive municipalities north of the airport have welcomed the transparency but urged authorities to finish tests ahead of Easter traffic. Flughafen Zürich has pledged to publish real-time flight-track visualisations on its community portal so residents can distinguish calibration sorties from normal traffic.
From a mobility-programme standpoint, employers should warn inbound assignees arriving on relocation trips that night operations could push arrivals onto buses if last-train connections from the airport station are missed. Relocation providers recommend pre-booking alternative ground transport during the calibration window, especially for families with excess luggage.
Additional calibration sorties are already booked for 27 April–1 May, when Zurich must validate revisions to the northern approach for Runway 16 to meet new ICAO performance-based-navigation requirements. A further campaign between 8 and 19 June will follow replacement of Runway 28’s glide-path transmitter. Skyguide, Switzerland’s air-navigation agency, is responsible for flight-test planning and will coordinate temporary airspace reservations with German, French and Italian control centres to minimise cross-border impact. (uk.marketscreener.com)
If any of these schedule changes force you to rebook travel or adjust arrival documents at short notice, VisaHQ can expedite the necessary Swiss visas and travel permits online. Their dedicated Switzerland page (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) lets corporate flight departments, crews and passengers secure paperwork quickly, freeing them up to concentrate on slot requests and calibration-flight NOTAMs.
For companies flying corporate jets into Zurich for late-night board meetings or red-eye positioning of crews, the message is clear: request slots early and monitor NOTAMs daily. Scheduled airlines have been asked to flag potential last-minute gate changes to connecting passengers whose itineraries already compressed by the current wave of European delays. Logistics firms that rely on belly-hold cargo from Asia should also anticipate minor reschedulings on inbound freighters.
Noise-sensitive municipalities north of the airport have welcomed the transparency but urged authorities to finish tests ahead of Easter traffic. Flughafen Zürich has pledged to publish real-time flight-track visualisations on its community portal so residents can distinguish calibration sorties from normal traffic.
From a mobility-programme standpoint, employers should warn inbound assignees arriving on relocation trips that night operations could push arrivals onto buses if last-train connections from the airport station are missed. Relocation providers recommend pre-booking alternative ground transport during the calibration window, especially for families with excess luggage.
