Every January, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland concentrates a density of private jet traffic that tests the operational capacity of every FBO in the Alps. Heads of state, Fortune 500 CEOs, central bank governors, finance ministers, and a constellation of civil society leaders arrive within a narrow five-day window. The aviation logistics challenge is acute: Sion Airport (SIR), the primary private aviation gateway, handles volumes it was not designed for, while the overland approach through the Prättigau valley requires coordination at every stage.
The Airport Situation: Sion, Zurich, and the Helicopter Network
Davos is a mountain town accessible by road from Klosters — approximately 90 minutes by vehicle from Sion Airport, 2.5 hours from Zurich. During WEF week (typically the third week of January), Sion operates under extraordinary congestion: parking slots are fully allocated months in advance, FBO handling capacity is strained to its limits, and airspace management around the Engadin becomes genuinely complex due to the volume of simultaneous operations.
FFGR Jets secures Sion slot reservations for WEF clients at the beginning of each year, maintaining priority access through its established FBO relationships at Geneva Jet Aviation and Sion. For clients who prefer or require proximity to Zurich — or whose aircraft exceed Sion's performance envelope — FFGR Jets coordinates helicopter transfers from Zurich Kloten to the Davos helipad, typically 35 minutes in a twin-engine helicopter under WEF security protocols.
Security Coordination: The WEF Protocol
The World Economic Forum operates under Swiss Federal Police and DDPS (Department of Defence) security architecture. All arriving aircraft undergo pre-clearance passenger manifest submission to the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) and Swiss Federal Police (fedpol). FFGR Jets manages the pre-clearance documentation process — submitting passenger data, crew manifests, and flight plans through the appropriate Swiss authority channels — as part of its standard WEF service.
Ground vehicle access to the Davos Congress Centre is controlled by a credentialing system managed by the WEF Secretariat. FFGR Jets coordinates with clients' security teams and WEF accreditation offices to ensure that vehicle transfers from airport to venue align with the client's badge access category and security bubble requirements. For heads of state and high-profile principals, FFGR Jets works alongside existing PPO (Principal Protection Officer) teams rather than replacing them.
Accommodation and Movement During WEF Week
Hotel accommodation in Davos during WEF week is fully allocated to delegations and media organisations by September of the preceding year. The Intercontinental Davos, the Steigenberger Grandhotel Belvédère, and the Hotel Schweizerhof are the principal delegate properties. Private chalet rental — through the Davos Klosters valleys — is an increasingly preferred alternative for UHNW clients who require secure, private, and self-contained accommodation. FFGR Jets works with Alpine real estate agents to identify chalet properties that have been historically available during WEF.
Movement within Davos during the Forum is restricted, credentialed, and surveilled. The Davos-Dorf to Davos-Platz corridor is managed by WEF ground transport shuttles for badge-holders; private vehicles require specific authorisations for access to the Promenade. FFGR Jets' on-ground logistics team coordinates within these constraints, positioning vehicles at permitted zones and managing the timing of delegate transfers with reference to session schedules available through the WEF app.
Planning Your WEF Davos Programme
WEF week aviation logistics require a planning lead time of at least six months — ideally 10 to 12 months for clients who attend annually and require guaranteed slot access at Sion. FFGR Jets opens WEF programme reservations each year in February for the following January event, in advance of general market demand.
For clients attending WEF for the first time, FFGR Jets offers a complete first-attendance orientation: airport options and trade-offs, vehicle routing, security pre-clearance documentation preparation, accommodation recommendations, and programme scheduling that accounts for session timings and Davos traffic patterns. The Forum experience is substantially better when the logistics are invisible — and invisibility requires preparation that begins well before January.
Davos by Private Jet — FFGR Jets
Or by email: contact@ffgrjets.com
