REPORT Wherever the
REPORT Wherever the journey may lead, a fully functioning airport and good weather conditions are the basic necessities for flying. 340 HECTARES OF AIRPORT GROUNDS Geneva Airport: Well-oiled gateway to the world Once a privilege, air travel has now become routine. Passengers are often unaware how much industrious work takes place behind the scenes of every flight. Besides the aircraft crew itself, keeping the “gateway to the world” functioning smoothly minute by minute takes the efforts of thousands of airport staff. Geneva is no exception. In many ways, airports are organized like cities, with passengers playing the role of citizens with all their various needs during their stay there. Most passengers spend between 30 and 90 minutes at the airport. With tailor-made, continually updated infrastructure, Switzerland’s second-biggest airport served 15.8 million passengers (and rising) last year. INDEPENDENT AND OPEN TO THE WORLD Geneva International Airport commenced operations in 1922. Today Genève Aéroport, an independent public institution of the Canton of Geneva, operates the airport, which is just four kilometers from the center of Geneva under a federal concession. “Geneva Airport leaves every passenger with a lasting impression,” explains communi- 10
Pictures: Genève Aéroport, Frank Baumann 140 DESTINATIONS 15.8 MILLION PASSENGERS 70,000 TONNES OF AIR FREIGHT The public areas of airports do not vary much – but the specialists working behind the scenes are often “invisible”. Winter snow and ice: the snow clearance equipment here includes no fewer than 14 powerful Boschung Jetbrooms. cations manager Bertrand Stämpfli. That means that the airport has only a short time to convey a perfect image. To accomplish this, Genève Aéroport directly employs a workforce of about 1000. In all, around 10,000 people currently work at the airport in 200 different occupations. 365 DAYS A YEAR Unlike many other industries and businesses, there is only one mode of operation at Geneva Airport: non-stop. Every day the airport has to be fully operational from 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., prepared to provide a full range of services for arriving and departing planes. Highly visible passenger-facing operations include check-in, security, baggage processing, ground transportation and the complete infrastructure of 80 shops and restaurants. Some travelers reach the airport by road; others take advantage of the convenient direct train service. Once there they can mail letters, go shopping, or even consult a doctor in case of medical emergency. Behind the scenes, air traffic controllers direct aircraft movements from the tower, while in winter specialists remove snow and ice from the planes and installations. And let’s not forget the aviation experts performing thousands of skilled tasks in the maintenance hangars located alongside the two terminals. MOTOREX MAGAZINE 108 I JULY 2016 11
