WEF2026

It was that time of year again. In the third week of January 2026, Zurich Airport turned into a spotter’s paradise. According to the WEF, it was one of the largest meetings in its 56-year history, welcoming nearly 65 heads of state or government, including six leaders from the G7. There was no doubt that this year’s WEF would be an amazing experience for us spotters. In this blog, I’ve put together my personal WEF 2026 highlights—I hope you enjoy it.

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02-0202 USAF Boeing C-40

My WEF experience began with this 737. While the livery is fairly unspectacular, it still features eyebrow windows, which are becoming increasingly rare.

9V-SWI Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER

Not a special visitor, but it was still a pleasure to see SQ’s Star Alliance livery, with some nice wing action thanks to the typical WEF weather.

02-1111 USAF Boeing C-17A Globemaster III

This C-17 rotated incredibly early on runway 28, something I’ve never seen before.

HB-JMA Swiss Airbus A340-300

While everyone else on this photo tour was capturing the C-17 taxiing past us, I focused on Mike Alpha, which started up its engines with plenty of smoke—plus a new angle I hadn’t had before. Next stop: Shanghai!

4K-AI08 AZAL Azerbaijan Airlines Airbus A340-600

I was over the moon to see this beauty again! Last year, Azerbaijan’s head of state arrived in their 777-200, which was nice, but I had really been hoping for the A346. This long giant was an absolute highlight for me. At the time of its arrival, only four other A346-600s were in the air (1 Mahan, 2 European Cargo, and 1 Conviasa), which really shows how rare they’ve become these days! Captured at 16mm on full-frame.

B-LRJ Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-900

It hasn’t been long since Cathay unveiled its retro 80th-anniversary livery on the A350-900, and already this beauty has made its way to Zurich! It needed deicing, so the wait in freezing temperatures was tough, but seeing it for the first time made it totally worth it. Next time, hopefully, with a clear blue sky! ;-)

3C-NOM Ceiba Intercontinental Boeing 777-200

When it was already dark, Equatorial Guinea flew its government delegation to Zurich via Rabat, Morocco. The dense fog and the runway lighting made these cool effects visible.

SU-GGG Egypt Government Airbus A340-200

Just when I thought the traffic couldn’t get any more special, I heard the unbelievable news: Egypt’s super rare A340-200 was coming to Zurich! I had been hoping to see it for so long and had nearly given up—you really have to be in the right place at the right time—especially since it’s about to be replaced by the 747-8. And then… there she was, flying in straight from Cairo! As an avgeek, it felt like Christmas and my birthday all at once. By the time it was airborne, it was the only A340-200 flying anywhere in the world at that moment.

3085 Czech Air Force Airbus A319-100 ACJ

Back on one of Aero-Terminal’s fantastic WEF photo tours: the Czech Air Force A319 in spooky fog—what a cool effect!

HB-JMF Edelweiss Air Airbus A340-300

The atmosphere couldn’t have been more perfect. This is my very final shot of Mike Foxtrot—after its last commercial flight, it’s heading into retirement. I’m incredibly grateful I got one last look at it on the apron!