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With rising passenger numbers and a distinct lack of space, Geneva Airport was in dire need of an overhaul. Providing access to ski resorts within France, Italy and Switzerland, the airport has grown considerably since it was built in 1968, with the biggest changes occurring over the last few years. Despite some challenges, the airport now seems set for the final phases of its makeover.
The Swiss airport was only ever meant to handle five million passengers and is now said to handle three times that number. It surpassed the 15 million passenger mark for the first time in December 2014, no doubt from the heavy ski holiday traffic heading out to resorts over Christmas.
The challenge the airport faced was how to continue growing with such limited space. There wasn’t room to build a whole new terminal, so the plans were to build an east wing to replace the outdated facilities instead.
Image courtesy of Geneva Airport (www.gva.ch)
In the summer of last year, environmentalists and residents withdrew their opposition to the expansion of the airport after an agreement was reached regarding the number of planes that will use the new east wing.
The renovations will allow passengers to board and disembark planes via two air bridges, which will help to streamline things and eliminate the need for bus transfers across the tarmac.
Over 100 million Swiss francs have already been spent on the 2007-2015 master plans to overhaul Geneva Airport. Security systems have been updated and, after listening to concerns from locals and environmentalists, it’s full steam ahead for the revamps of this important gateway to the Alps.
