Geneva Cointrin International Airport (GVA)
History, Facts and Overview

(Geneva, Switzerland)

With a long and interesting history, Switzerland's important Geneva International Airport was first established around 90 years ago, in 1920. By 1940, the Aeroport International de Geneve (AIG) had constructed its very first concrete-surface runway and a large passenger terminal soon followed in 1949, with an overall capacity of around 300,000 travellers.

However, just two decades later, Geneva's airport terminal had become woefully undersized and major extensions were carried out, greatly increasing the capacity to approximately five million passengers per annum. Other important dates in the history of Geneva Cointrin International Airport (GVA) include 1994 - when the airport gained its complete autonomy, 1997 - when the new railway station opened and 1998 - when the charter terminal was completed. The arrival of the West Wing extension in the year 2000 is also worth a mention.


Amenities at the terminal include a selection of almost 20 cafés, bars and restaurants, with Pret a Manger being especially popular. There are also numerous shopping opportunities and retail outlets at Geneva Airport, including Nuance Group duty-free shops, newsagents, jewellers, and designer and electrical goods shops. The airport's 'Les Galeries de l'Aéroport' comprises around 60 shops, which are open seven days a week and always popular with passengers looking to occupy their time.

Additional facilities include showers and a nursery. There is also dry cleaning, a post office, private lounges, banks and cash machines throughout the terminal. Business travellers arriving at Geneva International Airport (GVA) often find the SkyCom Business Centre extremely useful, where translation and secretarial services are available, and offices and conference rooms can be hired.