Samedan airport reneal

Context

In brief

• The 68,5-million construction project is still stalled
• The vote of 17 agosto 2025 surpassed 54%
• The appeal to the Federal Supreme Court is blocking the start of the works
• Investments of 7,6 million are planned for 2027

Key facts

• Project → renovation of Samedan Airport
• Cost → 68,5 million francs
• Vote → 17 agosto 2025
• Outcome → more than 54% of those entitled to vote
• Appeal → pending before the Federal Supreme Court
• Investments 2027 → 7,6 million
• Expected deadline → 2031
• Source → ATS (Keystone-ATS)

On 17 agosto 2025, more than 54% of eligible voters in the eleven municipalities of Upper Engadine approved the renovation of Samedan Airport. More than a year after the popular vote in favor, however, the 68,5-million-franc construction project has not yet begun. The news was reported by Keystone-ATS.

The airport, dating back to 1938, is in urgent need of renovation. The project includes two new operations centers with a hangar for aircraft, the expansion and repair of the aprons in front of the airport, a tower with a 360-degree view, and a security fence. The vote therefore gave political approval to the infrastructure, but so far has not led to the opening of the construction site.

The appeal keeping the project stalled

The project is being blocked by an appeal seeking to annul the popular vote of 17 agosto 2025. The Federal Supreme Court has ruled on the suspensive effect, but not yet on the merits. The appellant had asked that, until the final decision, measures to implement the project be halted, especially detailed planning and authorization of the credits for the second stage. The start of the contested works therefore remains subject to the Federal Supreme Court's final decision.

At the meeting of the airport conference, the political decision-making body, Mario Cavigelli, president of Infra, which owns the infrastructure, described the condition of the airport in stark terms:

“We have to be honest: we are facing a ruin.”

The structural problems that emerge are being dealt with discreetly, in the hope that the complete renovation can take place soon.

The fence follows a particular course. No objection was filed against its construction, but the start planned for the third quarter of this year will be delayed once again because of the appeal in Lausanne.

The supervisory complaint submitted in June by the Management Commission of the Municipality of S-chanf to the Grisons Government remains a separate matter. The request concerned a special investigation and an examination of Infra's accounting and reporting practices. On 10 agosto, the Cantonal Department of Finance and Municipalities had found no grounds for intervention. S-chanf requested a further review at the end of August, but the Canton maintained its position.

Operational details

What changes in practical terms

The practical point for anyone following the dossier is not to confuse three steps. The popular vote approved the project, the Federal Supreme Court is examining the appeal, and the airport conference still has to approve the budget items if the decision is favorable. These are different stages: the first expresses political consent, the second conditions implementation, and the third precedes the start indicated by Mario Cavigelli.

The distinction is also useful for reading updates without turning every announcement into a construction start date. Infra has prepared various decisions to proceed promptly with awarding the work to designers and contractors, but the source places the start after two steps: a favorable decision by the Federal Supreme Court and approval of the budget items by the conference. Administrative preparation therefore signals readiness, not the start of the work.

Timelines, investments and budget

The budget approved by the politicians, with only the Municipality of Samedan opposed, provides a precise financial reference. It should not, however, be confused with the total project cost, set at 68,5 million francs, or with a new authorization already sufficient to open the construction site. The airport conference brings together one representative from each of the eleven municipalities of Upper Engadine, and this is precisely the body responsible for the step indicated by Cavigelli after a favorable decision by the Federal Supreme Court.

The debt issue also requires separate consideration. Municipal representatives raised questions about alleged debts of Infra; Claudio Dietrich, however, clarified that in the 2025 annual accounts the surplus is an accounting figure and does not correspond to actual debts. According to his explanation, Infra is not indebted to anyone. For a reader comparing the figures, the difference between the accounting figure and actual debt is therefore the point not to overlook.

Finally, the appeal has an effect that goes beyond the contested works: the fence, too, will be delayed despite there being no objections. The airport project should not be confused with costo della vita in Svizzera, which is a separate tool for assessing personal expenses.

Recommended tools

For an updated estimate, use the net salary calculator and the CHF-EUR exchange comparator.

Key points

How to follow the dossier

To follow the project without assigning it a deadline that the source does not confirm, it is advisable to use a control sheet based on the steps already indicated. It is not a new administrative procedure, but a way to correctly read the updates from the airport conference, the Federal Tribunal, and the municipalities involved.

Five operational checks

1. Vote basis: report the date of August 17, 2025, the outcome above 54%, and the involvement of the eleven municipalities of Upper Engadine. This identifies the consultation, but does not set the start date of the construction site.

2. Judicial status: distinguish the suspensive effect, on which the FT has already ruled, from the merits of the appeal, which is still pending. An update on the first point does not equal a final decision on the second.

3. Political step: after a favorable decision, verify the approval of the budget items by the airport conference. The source indicates this step before the start of works; the conference includes a representative for each of the eleven municipalities.

4. Numbers to keep separate: the project is worth 68.5 million francs, while for 2027 investments of 7.6 million are planned. The two amounts serve different purposes and should not be presented as if they indicated the same item.

5. Calendar and parallel dossiers: 2031 was the deadline set in the vote message, but Mario Cavigelli considers it extremely difficult and probably unrealistic. The fence has received no opposition, yet it will suffer delays due to the appeal; the complaint from S-chanf instead concerns oversight of accounting and reporting practices.

This sequence helps to evaluate future news. If the awarding of works is communicated, it must be distinguished from the decisions already prepared by Infra in order to promptly assign the task to designers and contractors. The source describes the preparation of those steps, not an already operational construction site. For a separate search on the labor market, you can consult the companies that are hiring, without presenting that tool as an update on the airport.

Even the financial reading requires precision. The 2027 budget has been approved by the politicians, with Samedan opposed, while doubts about debts have been traced by Dietrich to a surplus in the 2025 final accounts. Keeping these two plans distinct avoids confusing the approval of the budget with a already final decision on the entire project.

For a personal income check, separate from the airport dossier, use the salary calculator.

Source: swissinfo.ch