Geneva International Airport Aéroport international de Genève
IATA: GVA – ICAO: LSGG + Geneva Intl Location of airport in Switzerland
Summary
Airport type		Public
Serves		Geneva
Location		Meyrin and Grand-Saconnex
Hub for		Baboo EasyJet Switzerland Hello AG
Elevation AMSL		1,411 ft / 430 m
Coordinates		46°14′18″N 006°06′34″E / 46.23833°N 6.10944°E / 46.23833; 6.10944 (Geneva Cointrin International Airport)Coordinates: 46°14′18″N 006°06′34″E / 46.23833°N 6.10944°E / 46.23833; 6.10944 (Geneva Cointrin International Airport)
Website		www.gva.ch/en
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
05/23	3,900	12,795	Concrete
05 GRASS/23 GRASS	823	2,700	Grass/Earth
Source: Swiss AIP at EUROCONTROL

Geneva International Airport (IATA: GVA, ICAO: LSGG) is an airport serving Geneva, Switzerland. It is located 4 km (2.5 mi) northwest of the city centre and has direct connections to motorways, bus lines 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.

Geneva International Airport
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Geneva International Airport
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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 Flybaboo, 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).

In 2009, the airport served 11,324,141 passengers, a decrease of 1.73% from 2008.

Geneva International Airport - The main terminal building
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Geneva International Airport
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Geneva International Airport - Apron overview
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Airlines and destinations

Passenger Airlines

An EasyJet Airbus A319-100 taxiing.

An Aeroflot Airbus A319-100 taxiing.

A Swiss International Air Lines Airbus A330-200 taxiing.

A Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 taxiing.

A Darwin Airline Saab 2000 taxiing.

Geneva International Airport - Etihad Airways Airbus A330-200 in Geneva
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Geneva International Airport - Air France Airbus A318-100 in Geneva
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Geneva International Airport - Air Canada Boeing 767-300ER in Geneva
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Geneva International Airport - El Al Boeing 777-200ER in Geneva
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Note: Some of these airlines only serve Geneva seasonally, especially during the winter ski season

Cargo Airlines

Cities with direct international passenger airlinks with Geneva

Other facilities

The airline Baboo has its head office on the grounds of the airport and in Grand-Saconnex.

Ground connections

Airport entrance

The airport is 4 km (2.5 mi) 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, a machine dispenses free 80 minute tickets for Transports Publics Genevois, which are valid for both the city buses and trains to Geneva.

Incidents and accidents

• 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.

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."

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
We don't guarantee the information is fresh and accurate. The data may be wrong or outdated.
For more up-to-date information please refer to other sources.