Geneva International Airport (IATA: GVA, ICAO: LSGG), formerly known as Cointrin Airport and officially as Genève Aéroport, is an airport serving Geneva, Switzerland. It is located 4 km (2.5 mi) northwest^[1] of the city centre and has direct connections to motorways, bus lines (Geneva Public Transport) and railways (SBB-CFF-FFS). Its northern limit runs along the SwissFrench border and the airport can be accessed from both countries. Passengers on flights to or from France do not have to go through Swiss customs and immigration controls if they remain in the French sector of the airport. The freight operations are also accessible from both countries, making Geneva a European Union freight hub although Switzerland is not a member of the EU. The airport is partially located within the commune of Meyrin and partially in the commune of Grand-Saconnex.^[2][3]

The airport has a single concrete runway, which is the longest in Switzerland with a length of 3,900 m (12,795 ft), and a smaller, parallel, grass runway for light aircraft. It is a major hub for EasyJet Switzerland and Darwin Airline, a focus city for Swiss International Air Lines and the former hub of Swiss World Airways, which ceased operations in 1998. Geneva International Airport has extensive convention facilities and hosts an office of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the world headquarters of Airports Council International (ACI).

In 2012, the airport served 13,899,422 passengers and 192,944 aircraft movements.^[4]

History [edit]

Geneva airport was created in 1919 as a simple field in Cointrin, near the city of Geneva. From 1926 to 1931, the wooden sheds were replaced by three concrete ones. At the time, there was a small amount of air traffic, with Lufthansa flying from Berlin to Barcelona via Halle, Leipzig, Geneva and Marseille. Swissair also flew the Geneva-Lyon-Paris route in a codeshare with Air Union. In 1930 there were six airlines that flew to Geneva Airport, flying seven different routes. In 1937 the first concrete runway was built; it measured 405 by 21 m (1,329 by 69 ft). In 1938 eight airlines were flying to Geneva: Swissair, KLM, Lufthansa, Air France, Malert (Hungary), AB Aero Transport (Sweden), Alpar (Switzerland) and Imperial Airways (UK).

During WWII the Swiss authorities forbade all flights from Switzerland. In 1945, the runway was enlarged to 1,200 m (3,900 ft), and the authorities agreed to a 2.3M Swiss Francs project to build a first terminal in Geneva. In 1946 the new terminal - which is today used as Terminal 2 - was ready for use, and the runway was enlarged once more to 2000m. In 1947 the first service to New York started with a Swissair Douglas DC-4. On July 17, 1959, the first jet aircraft landed in Geneva, an SAS Caravelle, and it was followed, 11 years later, by a TWA Boeing 747 which landed in 1970.

To provide for jet traffic, in 1960 the runway was extended to its current length of 3,900 m (12,800 ft). This is unusually long for an airport of this size, and could only be built after some territory was exchanged between France & Switzerland. The north-eastern end of the 1946 runway had also been the frontier between Geneva & the neighbouring French commune of Ferney-Voltaire. The runway extension needed to use land that was then French, and an international agreement was needed whereby the necessary land was transferred from France to Switzerland, and territory of identical size, also adjacent to Ferney-Voltaire, transferred in the opposite direction. In this way, Switzerland remained exactly the same size, and its neutrality remained unsullied. The extension also entailed the construction of the current tunnel leading to Ferney-Voltaire and of the joint border post on its northern side, which is unusual for Switzerland in that it is entirely on French territory. In the process, the old hamlet of La Limite disappeared, although (April 2013) a building from that era still stands isolated within a motorway junction on the southern side of the runway.

In 1968 the construction of a second runway and a mid-field round terminal were proposed, but ultimately the concept was never realised.

On May 7, 1968, Geneva Main Terminal was inaugurated, which was planned to accommodate 7 million passengers a year. This number was reached in 1985. In 1987, Geneva airport was linked to the Swiss rail system, with a new station built close to the main terminal. Since then, a number of changes have been made. Two of the three in-field terminals have been upgraded with jet bridges, and a new terminal has been built in front of the main terminal with 12 jet bridges, plus two ground floor gates. Recently, a new terminal was inaugurated in front of the old terminal building.

Despite there never being a regular Concorde service in Switzerland, the supersonic aircraft twice landed in Geneva. On August 31, 1976, more than 5000 people came to see the Concorde land. Nine years later, to commemorate Geneva Airport's 75 birthday, an Air France Concorde landed for a second time.^{[citation needed]}

Future [edit]

The 2007-2015 master plan is coming to an end with the construction of pier C, that will enable seven aircraft such as Boeing B777 or A330-340 to connect the terminal via jet bridges. This new terminal will also be used by airlines using smaller aircraft, and flying to non-Schengen countries. Changes have already been made in the main terminal with the construction of a new check-in area, new restaurant and duty free shops, as well as a new security checkpoint. With all these changes Geneva expects to be a more efficient airport for passengers and employees.

Terminals [edit]

Geneva airport has two passenger terminals, T1 and T2. T1, also known as Main terminal (M) is divided into 5 piers, A, B, C, D and F. Pier A, and some of the gates at pier D are Schengen gates. Passengers that board flights at those gates are not subject to passport checks. Gates at pier B, C, and some at pier D, are used for flights leaving the Schengen area. Pier C is used mostly for widebody aircraft.

A new terminal project named 'Aile Est' starting in 2012, will modernize and extend Pier C following a complete reconstruction. The new pier will be able to accommodate up to six widebody aircraft at once, including an Airbus A380 capable gate. A new gate for narrowbody aircraft will be created where the current pier C is located. Some of the new gates will be able to accommodate either one widebody or two narrowbody aircraft. Construction is scheduled to finish by 2015. The new terminal is estimated to cost about 300M Swiss Francs, and will be about 530 meters long and 15 meters wide. This new terminal will replace the temporary terminal that was built during the 70's. Construction was delayed by Swissair moving its long haul operation to Zurich in 1996. The events of 9/11 and the bankruptcy of the national airline in 2001 delayed it furthermore. Lately a few airlines such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways have started to use the facility along with United and Swiss International Airlines. The need for this new pier was then urgent.

Pier F, also known as the French Sector, is used exclusively for passengers arriving from, or departing to French destinations. It has two gates with jet bridges and four bus gates. The French Sector exists as a stipulation of an agreement between France and the Canton of Geneva dating from the 1960s. This sector enables travel between the neighboring French region of the Pays de Gex and the airport, avoiding Swiss territory and customs.

T2 is used during the winter charter season. This was the original terminal at Geneva Airport. It was built in 1946 and remained in use until the 1960s when the Main terminal opened. Facilities at T2 are poor, with only one restaurant and no duty free shops. Passengers are only checked-in at this terminal, and then, sent to the main terminal with a low floor bus. Geneva Airport wanted to refurbish T2 as a low-cost terminal. At this time EasyJet was the major low-cost airline in Geneva with up to 80 flights a day during winter. Other major airlines at GVA threatened to leave the airport if EasyJet had its own terminal with lower landing charges. Since then, there has been no information about an upgrade of T2 facilities.

Airlines and destinations [edit]

Passenger [edit]

Cargo [edit]

Other facilities [edit]

The airline Baboo had its head office on the grounds of the airport and in Grand-Saconnex.^[6][7] At one time SA de Transport Aérien had its head office on the airport property.^[8]

Ground connections [edit]

The airport is 4 km (2.5 mi)^[1] from the Geneva city centre. There is a railway station with trains to Geneva-Cornavin station, and other cities in Switzerland. There are local buses that stop at the airport. There are also buses to and from Annecy, France, and also seasonal buses to ski resort Chamonix in France and ski resorts in Switzerland.

Winter weekends see dozens of coaches at the nearby Charter terminal (former cargo terminal) meeting charter flights from all over Europe, but primarily the UK. These take holidaymakers to/from ski resorts in France, Switzerland and Italy.

Before passing through customs, machines dispense free 80 minute tickets for Transports Publics Genevois, which are valid for both the city buses and trains to Geneva.