Financial outlook
The travel restrictions in place as a result of the pandemic were largely lifted in the first half of 2022 and buoyant travel led to the continuing recovery being slightly stronger than expected. Planning for the winter months is more difficult from a current perspective. Passenger numbers at the Zurich site are expected to rise to slightly more than 20 million passengers this year, roughly two-thirds of the 2019 level.
Aviation revenue will mirror traffic volumes. Non-aviation revenue is also expected to be on a positive trend, firstly due to further revenue growth at the Circle and secondly thanks to international business activities, where growth momentum is stronger.
While the company continues to focus on cost discipline, it anticipates a year-on-year rise in costs in 2022. Firstly, the short-time working that protected the company from extensive personnel adjustments during the crisis was discontinued at the end of February. Secondly, the expected growth in passenger numbers will result in higher security and infrastructure costs. Higher energy costs and general inflation will likewise push up costs. Overall, however, operating expenses – excluding expenses from construction projects – can be kept below the 2019 level.
As the recovery progresses, Flughafen Zürich AG expects consolidated profit for the year as a whole to be in the low triple-digit millions.
Investment will amount to approximately CHF 400 million in 2022, with the Zurich site and subsidiaries abroad each accounting for half of this sum.