The Circle at Zurich Airport

A Legal Grey Zone in Kloten


Reading Time:     4 Min.
Publication:         June 26, 2026, Jonathan Schönholzer


There is a place at Zurich Airport where the usual rules of Swiss life do not quite apply. The Circle, a modern complex of shops, restaurants, and office spaces directly adjacent to the airport terminals, has become something of a legal curiosity. It is officially part of the airport, but critics argue it does not really belong there. The result is a quiet battle over Sunday opening hours, duty-free privileges, and the very definition of what an airport should be.

A Matter of Postal Codes

The Circle carries the postal code 8058 Zurich-Airport, which places it firmly within the airport's administrative territory . This address has proven remarkably useful. Under Swiss labor law, shops located at train stations or inside airports are permitted to open on Sundays . The Circle's tenants, which include Jelmoli, Läderach, and Omega, have taken full advantage of this exception. They open their doors on Sundays, advertise weekend shopping, and attract crowds of travellers and locals alike.

This has not gone unnoticed. Several political parties have questioned whether The Circle genuinely qualifies as being inside the airport. Their argument is simple. The Circle contains no check-in counters and no departure gates. It has no functional connection to air travel. It is, in their view, a shopping centre that happens to be built next to an airport, not an essential part of one .

The Complicated Ownership Structure

The situation is made more delicate by the ownership structure. The canton of Zurich is the main shareholder of the airport, and it holds a 51 percent stake in The Circle project . This means the canton indirectly profits from the Sunday sales that its own labour laws have enabled. Critics have suggested that the authorities have been conveniently lenient in interpreting the rules, but the economics director has insisted that the decision was made independently and without political interference.

The debate has become a proxy for larger tensions in Swiss society. The political left argues that The Circle sets a dangerous precedent by expanding Sunday work beyond the exceptions originally intended. The political right counters that the Sunday openings create jobs, and that the public has shown a clear desire for weekend shopping opportunities .

A Distinctive Swiss Compromise

What makes The Circle particularly Swiss is the nature of the dispute. Nobody is calling for the building to be demolished or the shops to be closed permanently. The argument is about interpretation, not destruction. The lawyers will likely sort it out eventually, and the compromise will be accepted by all parties, if not enthusiastically.

For now, The Circle continues to operate in its peculiar legal grey zone. Shoppers browse luxury goods on Sunday afternoons, politicians file their interpellations, and the courts prepare for the inevitable ruling. It is a small, bureaucratic conflict, but it reflects something essential about Switzerland. Even a shopping centre can become a battleground over the exact meaning of a law, and the battle will be fought with paperwork rather than passion.

All information provided without guarantee.

Image Source: Claudio Schwarz & wene via Unsplash

Location: The Circle, Flughafen CH, 8058 Zürich, Switzerland

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