Geneva International Airport
| Geneva International Airport Aéroport international de Genève Flughafen Genf Cointrin Airport |
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IATA: GVA – ICAO: LSGG
 GVA
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | City of Geneva | ||
| Operator | City of Geneva | ||
| Serves | Geneva | ||
| Location | Meyrin and Grand-Saconnex | ||
| Hub for | |||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,411 ft / 430 m | ||
| Coordinates | 46°14′18″N 006°06′34″E / 46.23833°N 6.10944°E | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 05/23 | 3,900 | 12,795 | Concrete |
| 05L/23R | 823 | 2,700 | Grass/Earth |
| Statistics (2011) | |||
| Passengers | 13,130,222 | ||
| Source: Swiss AIP at EUROCONTROL[1] | |||
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 Swiss-French 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 lesser hub 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).
Geneva airport has two terminals (T1 and T2). T1, also known as Main terminal (M) is divided over 5 piers, A, B, C, D and F. Pier A, and some of the gates at pier D are Shengen gates. Passengers that board flights at those gates do not need to pass through passports check. Gates at pier B, C, and some at pier D, are used for flights going out of the Shengen states. Pier C is used mostly for widebodied aircraft and is about to go through huge changes, as a new terminal project is about to start in 2012. The new terminal will accommodate up to seven widebodied aircraft at once, including an A380 capable gate. A new gate for medium size aircraft will be created were is standing the actual terminal. Some of the gate could either handle one widebodie aircraft or two medium-short haul 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 all it's long haul operation to Zurich in 1996. 9/11 and the bankruptcy of the national airline in 2001 delayed it furthermore. Lately a few airlines such as, Emirates, Ethiad and Qatar Airways started to use the facility along with United and Swiss International Airlines. The need for this new terminal was then urgent. Pier F, also known as French Sector, is use for passengers coming, or going to France. It has two gates with jet bridge and four gates that can be reached by bus. The future of this particular terminal is unknown as there is no need for it, since Switzerland and France are part of the Shengen states.
T2 is used during the winter charter season. This is the first terminal at at Geneva Airport. It has been 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 airlines in Geneva with up to 80 flights a day during winter. Other major airlines at GVA threaten to leave the airport if EasyJet will end up with its own terminal. Since then, there is no information about a upgrade of T2 facilities.
In 2011, the airport served 13,130,222 passengers and 189,121 aircraft movements.[4]
Contents |
[edit] History
Geneva airport was created in 1919 as a simple field in Coitrin, near the city of Geneva. From 1926 to 1931, the wooden sheds were replace by three concrete one. 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 meters in length and 21 meters in width. 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 1200m, 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 enlarge 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.
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]
[edit] Future
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 use by airlines using smaller aircraft, and flying to non-Shengen country. Changes as 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 check. With all this changes Geneva attend to be a more efficient airport for passenger and employee. Unfortunately the lack of presence of a traditional airlines such as Swiss International Airlines seems to slow down all project.
As of January 2012, and according to the official web site, Geneva International Airport was looking for a new team to develop the terminal landside. Upgrade might be done within five years, and transformation will upgrade check in and arrival level.
[edit] Airlines and destinations
[edit] Passenger Airlines
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | Dublin Seasonal: Cork, London Gatwick |
| Aeroflot | Moscow-Sheremetyevo |
| Air Algérie | Algiers |
| Air Canada | Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson |
| Air Europa | Madrid [begins 26 March 2012], Palma de Mallorca |
| Air France | Paris-Charles de Gaulle |
| Air France operated by Régional | Seasonal: Biarritz |
| Air Malta | Catania, Malta |
| Air Mauritius | Mauritius [ends 6 October 2012][5] |
| Alitalia | Rome-Fiumicino |
| Austrian Airlines operated by Tyrolean Airways | Vienna |
| Belair | Pristina |
| Blue Islands | Guernsey, Jersey |
| Bmibaby | Nottingham/East Midlands Seasonal: Belfast-City, Birmingham |
| British Airways | London-Heathrow Seasonal: London-Gatwick |
| British Airways operated by BA CityFlyer | Seasonal: London-City |
| Brussels Airlines | Brussels Seasonal: Cagliari, Olbia |
| Czech Airlines | Prague [resumes 23 April 2012] |
| Darwin Airline | Florence, Genoa, Lugano, Luxembourg, Nice, Rome-Fiumicino, Valencia, Venice Seasonal: Biarritz, Cagliari, Ibiza, Olbia, Saint-Tropez |
| EasyJet | Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London-Gatwick, London-Luton, Manchester Seasonal: Belfast-International, Bournemouth, Glasgow-International, Leeds/Bradford, London-Stansted, Newcastle upon Tyne |
| EasyJet Switzerland | Alicante, Amsterdam, Athens [begins 19 April 2012], Barcelona, Berlin-Schönefeld, Bilbao, Bordeaux, Brindisi, Bristol, Brussels, Budapest, Catania [begins 18 April 2012], Copenhagen, Hurghada, Lisbon, London-Gatwick, Madrid, Málaga, Marrakech, Nantes, Nice, Oviedo, Palma de Mallorca, Paris-Orly, Porto, Pristina, Rome-Fiumicino, Santiago de Compostela, Sharm el-Sheikh, Stockholm-Arlanda, Tel Aviv, Toulouse, Venice [begins 28 March 2012] Seasonal: Ajaccio, Bastia, Birmingham, Cagliari, Dubrovnik, Faro, Heraklion, Ibiza, Mykonos, Naples, Olbia, Split |
| EgyptAir | Cairo, Hurghada |
| El Al | Tel Aviv |
| Edelweiss Air | Antalya, Hurghada, Kos, Larnaca, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Pristina, Sharm el-Sheikh, Tenerife-South |
| Emirates | Dubai |
| Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi |
| Finnair | Helsinki |
| Finnair operated by Flybe Nordic | Helsinki |
| Gulf Air operated by PrivatAir | Bahrain [ends 1 March 2012] |
| Helvetic Airways | Seasonal: Heraklion [begins 4 July 2012], Kos [begins 5 July 2012], Mersa Matruh [begins 11 July 2012], Oujda [begins 2 July 2012] |
| Iberia | Madrid |
| Iceland Express | Seasonal: Reykjavík-Keflavík |
| Jet2.com | Leeds/Bradford Seasonal: Belfast-International, Edinburgh, Glasgow-International, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham/East Midlands |
| Jet4you | Casablanca |
| KLM | Amsterdam |
| KLM operated by KLM Cityhopper |
Amsterdam |
| Kuwait Airways | Frankfurt, Kuwait |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Warsaw-Chopin |
| Lufthansa | Berlin-Brandenburg [begins 3 June 2012], Frankfurt, Munich |
| Lufthansa operated by PrivatAir | Libreville, Pointe Noire [6] |
| Lufthansa Regional operated by Augsburg Airways | Munich |
| Lufthansa Regional operated by Eurowings | Düsseldorf |
| Lufthansa Regional operated by Lufthansa CityLine | Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Munich |
| Luxair | Luxembourg |
| Middle East Airlines | Beirut |
| Monarch | Seasonal: Birmingham, London-Gatwick, London-Stansted, Manchester |
| Nouvelair | Seasonal: Djerba, Monastir |
| Norwegian Air Shuttle | Oslo-Gardermoen |
| Qatar Airways | Doha |
| Royal Air Maroc | Casablanca |
| Royal Jordanian | Amman-Queen Alia |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines | Jeddah, Riyadh |
| Scandinavian Airlines | Copenhagen, Stockholm-Arlanda, Oslo-Gardermoen |
| Sun d'Or International Airlines operated by El Al | Seasonal: Tel Aviv |
| Swiss International Air Lines | Athens, Barcelona, London-Heathrow, Madrid, Moscow-Domodedovo, New York-JFK, Nice, Zürich |
| Swiss International Air Lines operated by Swiss European Air Lines | London-City, Prague, Zürich Seasonal: Málaga, Palma de Mallorca |
| TAP Portugal | Lisbon, Porto |
| Thomas Cook Airlines | Seasonal: Manchester |
| Thomson Airways | Manchester Seasonal: Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow-International, London-Gatwick, London-Luton |
| Transavia.com | Seasonal: Rotterdam |
| Tunisair | Tunis Seasonal: Djerba, Monastir |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul-Atatürk |
| Twin Jet | Marseille |
| Ukraine International Airlines | Kiev-Boryspil |
| United Airlines | Newark, Washington-Dulles |
| Uzbekistan Airways | Tashkent |
[edit] Cargo Airlines
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| DHL Aviation | Brussels, Leipzig/Halle |
| TNT Airways | Basel/Mulhouse, Liège |
| UPS Airlines operated by Farnair Switzerland | Basel/Mulhouse, Cologne/Bonn |
[edit] Other facilities
The airline Baboo had its head office on the grounds of the airport and in Grand-Saconnex.[7][8]
[edit] Ground connections
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 & 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.
[edit] Incidents and accidents
- in 1950, Air India Flight 245, a Lockheed Constellation, crashed into Mont Blanc while descending toward Geneva.
- In 1966, a very similar accident occurred when Air India Flight 101, a Boeing 707, crashed into Mont Blanc while descending toward Geneva.
- On July 23, 1987 a hijacker was arrested by Swiss authorities on board an Air Afrique DC-10 after the plane had landed at Geneva to refuel. One passenger was shot and killed by the hijacker before he was overpowered by the crew prior to the plane being stormed by the authorities. 1 crew member and 3 other passengers were injured during the incident.
- On 2 September 1998, Swissair Flight 111, bound for Geneva International Airport from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, New York, crashed off of the coast of Nova Scotia due to an in-flight fire originating from the wiring in the plane. All of the 229 passengers and crew died.
[edit] Other facts of interest
- The old airport building, located next to the current building, is shown in The Adventures of Tintin story "The Calculus Affair."
[edit] References
- ^ a b c EAD Basic
- ^ "Plan de commune." Meyrin. Retrieved on 29 September 2009.
- ^ "PLAN DIRECTEUR." Grand-Saconnex. 117 (3/4). Retrieved on 29 September 2009.
- ^ Geneva airport statistics
- ^ http://www.airmauritius.com/news/Communique%2014%20Feb%202012-English.pdf
- ^ LH link GVA with two African cities
- ^ "Flybaboo SA." Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Retrieved on 22 June 2010. "21 rte de l'Aéroport Main Building 3rd floor Geneva 15 Geneva, 1215 Switzerland."
- ^ "Conditions générales de transport Flybaboo." Baboo. Retrieved on 22 June 2010. "Le siège social est domicilié 21 route de l'Aéroport - Genève [Suisse]."
[edit] External links
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