Butzenbüel and the spotter hill at Zurich Airport

As of October 2026 – If you search for the Butzenbüel or the spotter hill at Zurich Airport, you run into two places that often get mixed up. One is the former spotter hill on the west side of the airport at the Heligrill, for years a meeting point of the scene – and removed since September 2023. The other is the Butzenbüel, a rise east of The Circle that now serves as a public airport park and is not listed by the airport as a spotter point.

This page sorts out both honestly, shows you the official western spotter point that now takes over the role of the old hill, and names the legal alternatives with which you can still pull off a full spotting day in Zurich.

Two hills, one misunderstanding

For years the term “Spotterhügel Zürich” (Zurich spotter hill) meant a built-up hill in the western airport area, just west of the Heligrill. From there the view went across the intersection of 10/28 and 16/34 to the docks. In September 2023 this hill was removed. The Heligrill and the viewing platform next to it have also disappeared; spotter guides report that the vantage point was moved closer to the runway intersection. The airport had not announced by press time when there will be a new hill.

The Butzenbüel, by contrast, lies on the other side of the terminals: it is the rise east of The Circle, the services and hotel complex that opened directly at the airport in November 2020. The hill was transformed into the airport park, and a short funicular leads up.

Whether the name Butzenbüel was ever used in the scene for the western hill cannot be reliably verified. For your planning that does not matter: for runway photos in the west you go to the western spotter point today, and to the Butzenbüel for a walk with a wide view.

Place	Location	Status October 2026	For spotters
Former spotter hill at the Heligrill	West, at the runway intersection	removed in September 2023	no longer usable
Western spotter point	West, about 670 m from the runway intersection	officially designated	Takeoffs on 16 and 28
Butzenbüel with airport park	east of The Circle	public, closed through October 30, 2026 for work	View, no runway view listed

The western spotter point

If you knew the old hill, in the west you now find the official western spotter point. The airport describes it as a location with a clear view of the runway intersection of 10/28 and 16/34. Behind it lie the Airside Center with the terminals, Docks A, B and E and the heliport. The airport gives the distance to the runway intersection as about 670 meters. On site there is a parking lot and information boards; the airport does not mention food.

The big difference from the old hill: you stand at ground level. The extra height with which you used to shoot comfortably over fence and grass is missing. Spotter guides report photo holes in the fence; with a small ladder you have more leeway. For takeoffs on runway 16 and aircraft climbing after liftoff the spot is still well suited – especially in the afternoon, when the well-known Observation Deck B is in backlight.

What you see from here

According to the airport, the main subjects in the west are:

• Takeoffs on runway 28 in the morning and afternoon – the aircraft lift off toward the west and thus come toward you.
• Takeoffs on runway 16 in the afternoon and evening – this is where the heavy long-haul jets take off, because at 3,700 meters 16/34 is the longest runway.
• Landings on runway 34 in the evening – according to the airport rather difficult, because many light masts are in the frame.
• Takeoffs on runway 10 – the airport recommends the “Fence 3” position for these.
• In the background: docks, Airside Center and heliport.

On top come taxiing movements around the runway intersection. Spotter guides also name the taxiways to the south apron and remote parking positions as subjects for this area.

Operating concepts: when the west works

Zurich has three runways in three directions – 16/34, 14/32 and 10/28 –, with 16/34 and 10/28 crossing. Which of them are used is governed by fixed operating concepts with time windows. For the west this is decisive, because the runway intersection lies right in front of you.

Concept	Landings	Takeoffs	Mon–Fri	Sat, Sun, holidays	In the west
North concept	14 and 16	16 and 28, during bise 10	7:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.	9:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.	very productive
East concept	28	32, sometimes 34	9:00 p.m.–11:30 p.m.	8:00 p.m.–11:30 p.m.	little in front of you
South concept	34	32 and 34, sometimes 28	6:00 a.m.–7:00 a.m.	6:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.	Landings 34, light masts

During the day the North concept usually applies, and that is exactly when the west pays off: the takeoffs on 16 and 28 run across the runway intersection. With a west wind the East concept can also apply during the day, with landings on 28 from the east and takeoffs on 32 – for the west rather a bad day. During bise (the cold northeast wind) takeoffs on 10 are added.

Takeoffs and landings are scheduled between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., and until 11:30 p.m. delays may be worked off without a permit. A night session in the west therefore gets you little. How wind and runway choice are connected is explained in the guide Understanding the runway direction in use at airports.

Light and photography

In the west you stand west of runway 16/34 and look east. In the morning you therefore tend to shoot into the sun, and from early afternoon it moves behind you. That matches the airport’s recommendations, which list takeoffs on 16 for afternoon and evening. For takeoffs on 28 the situation is different, because the aircraft come toward you – here the light depends heavily on the exact position.

For focal length you need more telephoto than on Deck B. At about 670 meters to the runway intersection you are well equipped with 100 to 400 mm, and for single narrowbody jets at the other end it may be more. Which lens suits is covered in the article Lens and focal length for plane spotting.

On warm days heat shimmer is the biggest problem. The air flickers over the runway intersection, and aircraft at a great distance turn soft. Then concentrate on aircraft that have already gained altitude after liftoff, or come in the later afternoon when it cools down.

Time of day	Light in the west	Best subject	Recommendation
Morning	rather backlight on 16/34	Takeoffs on 28	better Deck B
early afternoon	Sun turns behind you	Takeoffs on 16	The west ignites
late afternoon and evening	Sun at your back	Takeoffs on 16, evening mood	best window
Evening in the East concept	good, but little traffic in front of you	single takeoffs on 34	rather spotter point 5 in the east

What you get to see in Zurich

Zurich is the main hub of SWISS and, with about 32.6 million passengers in 2025, the largest airport in Switzerland. Accordingly the Lufthansa Group shapes the picture.

• SWISS: On short- and medium-haul the airline flies the Airbus A220-300 and models of the A320 family such as the A320neo. On long-haul you see the Boeing 777-300ER, the Airbus A330-300 and the new Airbus A350-900, which is gradually replacing the A340. The A340-300 is therefore on its way out – check beforehand whether it is still flying a route.
• Other Swiss airlines: The leisure airline Edelweiss, Helvetic Airways with Embraer jets such as the E190-E2, often on behalf of SWISS, and Chair Airlines.
• Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance: Lufthansa from Frankfurt and Munich, Austrian Airlines from Vienna and further partners of the Star Alliance.
• Long-haul from all over the world: Emirates uses the Airbus A380 in Zurich, plus companies from the Middle East, Asia and North America. What is flying depends on the schedule.
• Helicopters and business aviation: In the west you have the heliport in view. If you are looking specifically for business aviation such as the single-engine Pilatus PC-12 or the long-range jet Bombardier Global 7500, look at the business aviation stands from spotter point 5 in the east.

The heavy SWISS long-haul takeoffs on 16 are exactly why the west is so popular in the afternoon. How to tell the types apart reliably is explained in the article Identifying aircraft types for beginners.

The Butzenbüel: airport park instead of spotter hill

If you still want to go up the Butzenbüel, you find one of the most unusual parks at an airport there. According to the airport the airport park covers about 80,000 square meters of green space, about three quarters of which is under nature protection. It is publicly accessible 365 days a year. Access is via The Circle, from where the airport park funicular takes you up: a funicular 74 meters long with a height difference of 22.5 meters that gets you to the top in a good minute. Alternatively you walk along the park’s path network.

From the highest point you look, according to the airport, over The Circle and, in clear weather, as far as the Alps. The airport does not mention a view of runways or apron, and the Butzenbüel does not appear in its list of spotter points. So do not expect frame-filling takeoffs in front of your lens – the park is a place for a break between two spots, for a walk with family or for a picture of the building complex with an Alpine panorama.

Season	Funicular operating hours
Winter (Nov. 1 – Feb. 28)	10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Spring (Mar. 1 – Apr. 30)	10 a.m.–9 p.m.
Summer (May 1 – Aug. 31)	10 a.m.–10 p.m.
Autumn (Sept. 1 – Oct. 31)	10 a.m.–9 p.m.

In the park there is a restroom building with a drinking water connection and a public grill area that you cannot reserve. A separate park ordinance applies, which the airport links on its website.

Getting to the west

By bus and train the airport lists two ways: the bus stop Zürich Flughafen, Im Rohr and Rümlang station. If you are coming from the terminal anyway, the bus is usually the faster choice; from Rümlang station you have to plan a stretch on foot. You check lines and intervals best in the SBB or ZVV trip planner (the Swiss rail and Zurich transit association).

By car you use the parking lot at the spotter point. Spotter guides report that people park with a parking disc along the access road and the police stop by regularly. Do not park on meadows, field tracks or in driveways.

By bike you are most flexible: between the west, the south with spotter point 6 and the points in the north you can switch depending on the concept.

How a Zurich spotting day with the west goes

What else belongs in your camera bag is listed in the equipment checklist for plane spotting. If you are brand new, the guide Plane spotting for beginners helps you.

Legal alternatives around the airport

Because the hill is missing, it is worth looking at the other locations the airport officially designates. Besides Observation Decks B and E it lists seven spotter points – the point in the west and points 1 to 6.

Location	Subjects according to the airport	Time of day	Facilities
Observation Deck B	Runway 16/34, Alpha and Bravo stands	Morning	Admission, restaurant
Western spotter point	Runway intersection, takeoffs 16 and 28	Afternoon, evening	Parking lot, information boards
Spotter point 1 (northwest)	Landings 14, takeoffs 16, 34 and 32, line-up 16	Afternoon, evening	none listed
Spotter point 2	Landings 14 and 16, line-up 16	Afternoon, evening	Parking lot, restrooms, snack bar
Spotter point 3	Landings 14 and 16, takeoffs 34 and 32	Morning	Parking lot, restrooms, snack bar
Spotter point 4	Landings 14 and 16, about 200 m to 14/32	Morning	Parking lot, restrooms, snack bar
Spotter point 5 (east)	Takeoffs and landings 28, takeoffs 10 during bise, business aviation apron	all day, runway in the morning	Parking lot
Spotter point 6 (south)	Takeoffs 16 head-on, Tango stands	Statements inconsistent, evening	Parking lot, restrooms, snack bar

If you are looking for an elevated vantage point, in Zurich today you will mainly find one at Observation Deck B. For landings spotter points 2 to 4 in the north near Oberglatt are the first choice, and for head-on takeoffs on 16 spotter point 6 in the south near Glattbrugg.

Compared with other spotter hills in the German-speaking world, the loss stands out: at the spotter hill in Vienna or the visitors’ hill in Munich you still stand elevated above the fence, similar to the Affenfelsen in Hamburg. In Switzerland, besides Zurich, the observation deck at Geneva Airport is the obvious complement. More destinations are collected in the overview The best spotting spots in Europe.

Rules at the fence

The western spotter point lies outside the security area on publicly accessible land. To keep it that way, a few simple rules apply.

A look at the future of the west is also worthwhile: in March 2024 Zurich voters approved the extensions of runways 28 and 32. Runway 10/28 will be extended by 400 meters to the west. Construction work in the western area can therefore change locations and paths – before every visit check the airport’s spotter page and the information boards on site.

Conclusion

The spotter hill that many still have in mind under “Butzenbüel” or “Spotterhügel Zürich” no longer exists in its old form. The hill at the Heligrill has been removed since September 2023, and the real Butzenbüel is a park hill behind The Circle without a designated runway view. That does not mean the west is dead, though: the official western spotter point offers good light in the afternoon on the heavy takeoffs from runway 16 and on the runway intersection.

Together with Observation Deck B in the morning and the spotter points in the north for landings, you get a spotting day that shows Zurich in all its facets – just at ground level instead of from the hill.