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 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.
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).
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.
In 2011, the airport served 13,130,222 passengers and 189,121 aircraft movements.
Read more about Geneva International Airport: History, Future, Other Facilities, Ground Connections, Incidents and Accidents, Other Facts of Interest
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