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Helicopters · Zurich

Helicopter hire in Zurich

Zurich Airport's slot rules for helicopters, the heliport at Schindellegi above Lake Zurich, and transfers to the mountain resorts.

Private hire
CHF 1'310 to CHF 3'820/hr
Airport
Zurich (LSZH)
VFR helicopters
Slot required
To Zermatt
About 60 min
Photo: Daniel Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0
Overview

Flying from Zurich by helicopter

Can you take a helicopter from Zurich Airport?

Yes. Zurich Airport (LSZH) is slot-regulated: a helicopter flying under visual flight rules books a VFR slot and enters the slot ID in field 18 of its flight plan. Air Zermatt quotes about 60 minutes from Zurich to Zermatt. Fuchs Helikopter, based at Schindellegi above Lake Zurich, flies taxi, sightseeing and WEF transfer flights. A private helicopter typically costs CHF 1'310 to CHF 3'820 per flight hour for the whole aircraft.

A helicopter turns the drive from Zurich to Zermatt, Davos or St. Moritz into a flight of about an hour or less, weather permitting.

Zurich Airport needs a valid slot before every departure or arrival. Helicopters flying visually book through the airport's VFR slot tool; IFR flights get their slot through a handling agent.

The nearest dedicated heliport is Schindellegi (LSXS) in the canton of Schwyz, a private heliport in use since 1977 for taxi, transport, work and training flights. Fuchs Helikopter, based in Schindellegi, operates its own heliport.

Flying on by jet? See private jets from Zurich, Zurich to St. Moritz and Davos, or the World Economic Forum page.

Sources:Flughafen Zürich: general aviation, slots and VFR helicopters, checked 19 October 2026Slot Coordination Switzerland: GA/BA aviation at Zurich and Geneva, checked 19 October 2026FOCA (BAZL): Heliport Schindellegi (LSXS), checked 19 October 2026FOCA, Sectoral Plan SIL: Schindellegi object sheet, 22 June 2022 (PDF)Fuchs Helikopter, Schindellegi: services and fleet, checked 19 October 2026Air Zermatt: transfer flights and flight times, checked 19 October 2026

Zurich Airport

How helicopters use Zurich Airport

  1. 01
    Get a slot

    Zurich Airport is slot-regulated: a valid airport slot is needed before departure or arrival. Helicopters flying under visual flight rules must book a VFR slot.

  2. 02
    VFR helicopters

    Book in the airport's VFR slot booking tool, enter the slot ID in field 18 and file the flight plan at least 30 minutes before departure to confirm the slot. VFR slot booking is not possible between 12:45 and 14:15 local time.

  3. 03
    IFR flights

    Every IFR movement needs a slot, obtained through a handling agent listed in the Swiss AIP for LSZH unless the operator holds a self-handling authorisation. The slot ID goes in field 18.

  4. 04
    Keep the slot current

    Slot use is monitored, and the slot must be changed if the flight plan changes.

Sources:Flughafen Zürich: general aviation, slots and VFR helicopters, checked 19 October 2026Slot Coordination Switzerland: GA/BA aviation at Zurich and Geneva, checked 19 October 2026

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Landing

Zurich Airport, Schindellegi and Küssnacht

Zurich Airport (LSZH)

Slot-regulated for every movement. The General Aviation Center has a pilot briefing room and FBO offices.

Heliport Schindellegi (LSXS)

A private heliport in the municipality of Feusisberg (SZ), in use since 1977, with Robert Fuchs AG as airfield operator. FOCA's SIL object sheet of 22 June 2022 caps it at 3,688 movements a year; it averaged 3,030 from 2016 to 2019.

Swiss Helicopter, Küssnacht

A base just outside Lucerne that flies transport flights across central Switzerland, including the Zurich and Basel regions, and sightseeing over Lucerne, Rigi and Pilatus.

Sources:Flughafen Zürich: general aviation, slots and VFR helicopters, checked 19 October 2026FOCA (BAZL): Heliport Schindellegi (LSXS), checked 19 October 2026FOCA, Sectoral Plan SIL: Schindellegi object sheet, 22 June 2022 (PDF)Swiss Helicopter: Küssnacht base, checked 19 October 2026

Common flights

Helicopter transfers from Zurich

Zurich to Zermatt
Flight time
About 60 min
Operator
Air Zermatt
Notes
Lands at the Zermatt heliport
Zurich to Raron
Flight time
About 45 min
Operator
Air Zermatt
Notes
Air Zermatt's heliport in the Rhône valley
Zurich region to Davos for the WEF
Flight time
Quoted per trip
Operator
Fuchs Helikopter
Notes
Single or twin-engine helicopters, up to 8 passengers
Zurich to St. Moritz or Gstaad
Flight time
Quoted per trip
Operator
Operators below
Notes
Samedan airport or Saanen airfield

Flight times published by Air Zermatt, checked 19 October 2026. Fuchs Helikopter publishes no flight times or prices. Flights depend on the weather and on daylight.

Sources:Air Zermatt: transfer flights and flight times, checked 19 October 2026Fuchs Helikopter: WEF transfer to Davos, checked 19 October 2026

Scenic flights

Sightseeing flights around Zurich

  • Fuchs Helikopter sells sightseeing flights over the Swiss Alps, as well as taxi, event and flight-school flights. It publishes no prices.
  • Swiss Helicopter flies sightseeing over Lucerne, Rigi and Pilatus from its Küssnacht base.
  • Zurich Airport's own sightseeing page lists several providers of helicopter sightseeing flights from the Zurich area.

Sources:Fuchs Helikopter, Schindellegi: services and fleet, checked 19 October 2026Swiss Helicopter: Küssnacht base, checked 19 October 2026Flughafen Zürich: sightseeing flights and flight simulators, checked 19 October 2026

Weather

Weather, daylight and season

  • Air Zermatt flies its transfers depending on the weather and on sunrise and sunset times, and can arrange a road transfer as a backup when the weather stops a flight.
  • Sightseeing flights are confirmed at very short notice, sometimes the day before or on the day, from local weather reports.
  • St. Moritz (LSXM) and Gstaad Inn-Grund (LSEA) are winter heliports with no permanent infrastructure.
  • Off-piste heliskiing usually runs from March to April or May, depending on snow and avalanche risk. On-piste heliski drops run once the resort's slopes are open.

Sources:Air Zermatt: transfer flights and flight times, checked 19 October 2026Air Zermatt: sightseeing flights and prices, checked 19 October 2026FOCA (BAZL): Winterheliport St. Moritz (LSXM), checked 19 October 2026FOCA (BAZL): Winterheliport Gstaad-Inn Grund (LSEA), checked 19 October 2026Air Zermatt: heliskiing, checked 19 October 2026

Billing

What goes into a helicopter price

You charter the whole helicopter and its pilot, so a private flight is priced per trip, not per seat.

  • Flying time for the whole helicopter: as a guide, CHF 1'310 to CHF 3'820 per flight hour.
  • Positioning when the helicopter is based away from your pickup point, both to reach you and to fly home.
  • Airport handling: at Geneva, handling is mandatory for every aircraft and commercial flights must use a handling agent. At Zurich, IFR flights use one of the handling agents listed in the Swiss AIP.
  • Waiting time if the helicopter holds for you during the day.
  • Weather: Air Zermatt refunds its pre-booking charge if bad weather cancels a transfer, but not for a cancellation by the client at short notice.

Sources:Genève Aéroport: PPR, information for aviation professionals, checked 19 October 2026Slot Coordination Switzerland: GA/BA aviation at Zurich and Geneva, checked 19 October 2026Air Zermatt: transfer flights and flight times, checked 19 October 2026

The law

Where a helicopter may land in Switzerland

The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA, in German BAZL) sets the rules. Outside airports and heliports there are two regimes: off-aerodrome landings and mountain landing sites.

  • Any take-off or landing outside a designated aerodrome is an off-aerodrome landing (Aussenlandung). Picking up or setting down people or goods counts too, even if the helicopter never touches the ground.
  • The Off-Aerodrome Landing Ordinance of 14 May 2014 (OALO, in German AuLaV, SR 748.132.3) governs these landings: when authorisation is needed, the environmental rules, and when a site used often or given small infrastructure needs spatial planning and planning permission.
  • Under the ordinance, off-aerodrome landings are allowed in principle. Swiss-registered helicopters generally need no FOCA authorisation; helicopters registered abroad do, on FOCA's application form.
  • Take-offs and landings are generally banned in the nationally important protected areas listed in federal inventories, about 5% of the country. For landings in a built-up area, the operator informs the cantonal authority, usually the municipality.
  • Off-aerodrome landings to set down or pick up tourist or sport passengers are limited to below 1,100 m. Exceptions above that height, such as sports events of national importance, need FOCA approval after the canton and municipality are consulted.
  • Mountain landing sites (Gebirgslandeplätze) are landing places above 1,100 m with no infrastructure, used for training, practice, sport and tourist passenger flights. They are excluded from the OALO and governed by Art. 8 of the Aviation Act, Art. 54 of the Aviation Infrastructure Ordinance and the Sectoral Plan for Aviation Infrastructure (SIL). Art. 54 caps their number at 40.
  • Heliskiing at a mountain landing site needs proof of a qualified overall tourism interest, for example through a regional or cantonal tourism concept.
  • A helicopter may touch down within a reasonable radius of up to 400 m around a site's published coordinates, under a Federal Council decision of 7 May 1980. Cantons can also designate wildlife rest zones.

Sources:FOCA: Off-aerodrome landing, checked 19 October 2026FOCA (BAZL): Aussenlandestellen, checked 19 October 2026FOCA: explanatory report on the Off-Aerodrome Landing Ordinance (AuLaV), 30 April 2014 (PDF)FOCA: Helicopters, national law and AuLaV application forms, checked 19 October 2026FOCA (BAZL): Gebirgslandeplätze (mountain landing sites), checked 19 October 2026FOCA: Mountain landing sites, checked 19 October 2026

Safety

Fly with a FOCA-certified operator

  • Every operator on this page is on FOCA's list of helicopter Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holders; the certificate number is on its operator page. 185 helicopters fly in the charter fleets of Swiss certificate holders.
  • The company selling the flight and the company operating it can be different. Ask who operates yours.
  • As a broker, Altivo Jets names the operator and its certificate before you book.

Sources:FOCA: list of all FOCA-supervised helicopter operators, status 28 July 2026 (PDF)

Aircraft

Helicopters for Zurich flights

Fuchs Helikopter names the H125, MD520, Robinson R44 and R66 in a fleet of ten; the Lions Air group flies the Bell 429, H135, Super Puma, AW139 and H160.

FAQ

Questions, answered

Still deciding? A charter specialist will talk you through aircraft, airports and price, with no obligation.

Ask a specialist
Can a helicopter land at Zurich Airport?+

Yes, with a slot. Helicopters flying visually book a VFR slot in the airport's tool and file the flight plan at least 30 minutes before departure.

How long is the helicopter from Zurich to Zermatt?+

About 60 minutes, according to Air Zermatt, landing at its heliport in Zermatt.

Is there a heliport in Zurich?+

Not in the city itself. The nearest dedicated heliport is Schindellegi (LSXS), above Lake Zurich in the canton of Schwyz, where Fuchs Helikopter is based.

Can I fly to the WEF in Davos by helicopter?+

Yes. Fuchs Helikopter sells WEF transfers in single and twin-engine helicopters with up to eight seats. See our WEF page for the jet side of the trip.

How much does a helicopter cost from Zurich?+

As a guide, CHF 1'310 to CHF 3'820 per flight hour for the whole helicopter, plus positioning, handling and landing fees.

Sources

Fares, dates and rules on this page were checked on 19 October 2026. Official fares and schedules change every season; the operator or authority named in each source has the final word.

  1. 1.Flughafen Zürich: general aviation, slots and VFR helicopters, checked 19 October 2026
  2. 2.Slot Coordination Switzerland: GA/BA aviation at Zurich and Geneva, checked 19 October 2026
  3. 3.FOCA (BAZL): Heliport Schindellegi (LSXS), checked 19 October 2026
  4. 4.FOCA, Sectoral Plan SIL: Schindellegi object sheet, 22 June 2022 (PDF)
  5. 5.Fuchs Helikopter, Schindellegi: services and fleet, checked 19 October 2026
  6. 6.Air Zermatt: transfer flights and flight times, checked 19 October 2026
  7. 7.Swiss Helicopter: Küssnacht base, checked 19 October 2026
  8. 8.Fuchs Helikopter: WEF transfer to Davos, checked 19 October 2026
  9. 9.Flughafen Zürich: sightseeing flights and flight simulators, checked 19 October 2026
  10. 10.Air Zermatt: sightseeing flights and prices, checked 19 October 2026
  11. 11.FOCA (BAZL): Winterheliport St. Moritz (LSXM), checked 19 October 2026
  12. 12.FOCA (BAZL): Winterheliport Gstaad-Inn Grund (LSEA), checked 19 October 2026
  13. 13.Air Zermatt: heliskiing, checked 19 October 2026
  14. 14.Genève Aéroport: PPR, information for aviation professionals, checked 19 October 2026
  15. 15.FOCA: Off-aerodrome landing, checked 19 October 2026
  16. 16.FOCA (BAZL): Aussenlandestellen, checked 19 October 2026
  17. 17.FOCA: explanatory report on the Off-Aerodrome Landing Ordinance (AuLaV), 30 April 2014 (PDF)
  18. 18.FOCA: Helicopters, national law and AuLaV application forms, checked 19 October 2026
  19. 19.FOCA (BAZL): Gebirgslandeplätze (mountain landing sites), checked 19 October 2026
  20. 20.FOCA: Mountain landing sites, checked 19 October 2026
  21. 21.FOCA: list of all FOCA-supervised helicopter operators, status 28 July 2026 (PDF)
  22. 22.Lions Air Group: bases and helicopter fleet, checked 19 October 2026
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