President Alain Berset Praises Success of Zurich Airport
Published: Friday, Sep 1st 2023, 19:40
Updated At: Friday, Oct 13th 2023, 14:12
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On Friday evening, Swiss President Alain Berset opened the three-day airport festival in Kloten. In a humorous speech, he jokingly considered taking flights away from the Zurich airport, but seriously praised its success and importance. He clarified that his appearance had nothing to do with his resignation from the Federal Council, joking that he was not applying to be a pilot. Berset proposed various ways to balance the large airport with the smaller ones in Switzerland, such as having some intercontinental flights depart from Sion, but joked that this would cause trouble with Air Zermatt. He also wished for the same optimism of the post-war years when the airport was built. Comedian Fabian Unteregger parodied Berset before his speech, with an accent and the remark that he was not accompanied by the French Air Force. Carmen Walker Späh, the Zurich Director of Economics, said that the fifth language of Switzerland was "objection". She reminded the audience that the airport was built two years after a successful referendum in 1948. The Zurich-Kloten Airport is celebrating its 75th anniversary this weekend with a three-day festival, featuring performances from the Patrouille Suisse and singer Luca Hänni.nnnnnnnnnnnnnn
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