Connecting at Zurich airport

Connection time calculator, immigration and security, and how to move between terminals at ZRH.

How connections work at ZRH

At Zurich airport, passengers connecting between two international flights can usually stay in the transit area without going through immigration.

The airport has 4 terminals or concourses (Gates A (Schengen), Gates B (Schengen), Gates D (non-Schengen), Dock E (non-Schengen)). All of them are connected after security, so you do not need to clear security again to change.

Connection time calculator

Is your layover at ZRH long enough? Pick your connection and get an estimate with the times of this airport.

Terminals / concourses: Gates A (Schengen), Gates B (Schengen), Gates D (non-Schengen), Dock E (non-Schengen)

Getting between them: Skymetro to Dock E every 3 to 4 minutes (about 2 minute ride); budget about 15 minutes from the Airside Centre to a far E gate

Gates A (Schengen) are right off the Airside Centre. Gates B and D share one pier with two passport flows: B for Schengen and D for non-Schengen flights (B32 and D32 are the same door). Dock E, the long-haul satellite across the airfield, handles only non-Schengen flights.

Official transfer times:

  • Airside Centre → Dock E (Skymetro): up to 15 min by train

Passport control applies between Schengen (A, B) and non-Schengen (D, E) gates.

  • Within the same passport zone on one ticket, about an hour is normally comfortable; Schengen to non-Schengen allow about 90 minutes for passport control.
  • Airside cannot be entered from landside roughly between 10:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.

Estimate based on typical times at this airport, not your airline's official minimum connection time. Immigration and security lines change with the time of day and season. On a single ticket, the airline must rebook you if you miss the connection; on separate tickets, it does not.

Sources: layoverindex.com.

Times are estimates: always check with your airline.

More about ZRH

Airport guide Departures Arrivals