Genève Aéroport's passenger numbers will be high this summer, almost at the same level as in 2019. According to forecasts, passenger traffic in July and August will be 1.6% and 1.8% below 2019 pre-pandemic levels, respectively. This should represent 3.2 million passengers for the two months. This summer, 124 destinations from Geneva are being offered by airlines. Genève Aéroport, easyJet, SWISS, Swissport, dnata and all the players at the hub are mobilized, ready to welcome passengers and offer them a full range of services this summer.
For the summer of 2024, there is a wide range of services from Geneva: 124 destinations operated by 45 airlines are available to passengers. The destinations on offer are not only to Europe but also beyond, notably to North America, the Middle East and Africa.
Over the last few weeks, preparatory work has been conducted with all those involved at the airport: reinforcement of teams, coordinated planning with all agents, reminders of procedures, assurance with partners that teams are available according to traffic forecasts, etc.
The stability of flight operations is not solely in the hands of Genève Aéroport, the airlines that operate there and the local partner companies. External factors (fragility of certain airports, airspace congestion, industrial action, Euro 2024 and the Olympic Games or weather conditions) can disrupt operations. Collectively, every effort is being made to offer passengers stable air service, with sustained attention paid to flights in the first wave (between 6am and 8am), which have a major impact on the course of the day as a whole.
Train ticket discount voucher
In a new development for 2024, Genève Aéroport, together with its partners CFF and TPG, has improved accessibility by public transport, firstly by offering "early morning trains" from Biel, Fribourg and Sion, and secondly via the aerobusservice, to enable passengers to reach the airport more easily for first-wave flights.
In addition, as part of its policy to support sustainable mobility, Genève Aéroport is implementing an initiative to encourage travelers to use the train to get to the airport from more than 380 eligible stations, offering a responsible and practical alternative to the car.
From Tuesday 18 June 2024, travelers with a plane ticket to and from Geneva can obtain a train discount of CHF 10 per journey and per person by filling in the application form on the www.gva.ch/mareductiondetrain website. Once the application has been validated, a "unique discount code" will be sent by email and can be used when purchasing a full-fare, half-fare, or Supersaver CFF ticket, in 1st or 2nd class, on journeys to/from Genève Aéroport, from/to an eligible station.
"Geneva Airport has high targets for soft mobility and the use of public transport. By 2030, we aim to have 58% of Genève Aéroport passengers using sustainable modes of transport. Today, after the post-Covid pandemic downturn, we are back above the 50% mark," explains André Schneider, CEO.
easyJet: 25ème anniversary marked by recruitment and new routes
This year, easyJet celebrates the 25th anniversary of its subsidiary in Switzerland. Having started out with just three routes, the airline remains the market leader in Geneva, with a market share of over 40%.
Anticipating summer demand, easyJet has expanded its network for the season with more than 86 destinations from Geneva, including 7 new ones: Rabat (Morocco), Lanzarote (Canary Islands, Spain), Funchal (Madeira, Portugal), Djerba (Tunisia), Bari and Salerno (Italy), and Rhodes (Greece). The strengthening of the offer is supported by the recruitment of 80 new crew members to accompany the arrival of two A320s in the local fleet.
Operationally, the airline has successfully implemented a series of local measures to reduce take-offs after 10pm. The result: -85% of flights to UK destinations and -52% to the European Union (vs 2023).
easyJet has also invested in a new operations control center at its London Luton headquarters. With the help of a new artificial intelligence tool, the center’s 250 employees, working around the clock, can determine more quickly the best deployment options for the airline's 2,000 daily flights in Europe during the high season.
"This 25e anniversary is synonymous with the Swiss success story. We have democratized air travel, offering everyone the chance to connect with Europe for leisure, business or to visit loved ones. While 2024 marks the return to pre-covid levels for easyJet, we have strengthened our local roots with recruitment in Switzerland and an expanded range of destinations and holidays with easyJet holidays. At the same time, we are continuing to invest in operational efficiency, improving our flight schedules and the environmental transition, in particular through the renewal of the local fleet", says Jean-Marc Thévenaz, Director of easyJet Switzerland.
SWISS expands its summer network with Oslo and strengthens its SWISS Air Rail offering
SWISS is pleased to announce the addition of Oslo to its network of summer destinations from Geneva. In addition to this new route, the airline will continue to serve the Scandinavian cities of Copenhagen and Stockholm throughout the summer. A total of 41 routes are offered to a network of European destinations and one intercontinental destination to New York. This season's most popular destinations include Greece, Portugal, and Spain, as well as New York, with a daily flight.
SBB and SWISS are also expanding the SWISS Air Rail network from Geneva Airport. Vevey, Montreux, Sion, Sierre, Visp and Brig are now connected to the SWISS air network, offering travelers attractive new connections to these popular Swiss destinations.
After a robust performance over the Easter period, SWISS is looking forward to a summer with a significant increase in passenger numbers. In response to this growing demand, SWISS's overall flight capacity has been increased year-on-year.
"The reliability and stability of our network remains a priority for our company. We were Europe's most stable airline last year, and we are aiming to maintain that position this summer by offering our customers the reliability they have come to expect from us," says Romain Vetter, SWISS Director for French-speaking Switzerland.
Swissport: irregularity anticipation planning model
To cover operational needs, Swissport has continued to strengthen its workforce, hiring and training 130 new employees between January 2024 and today. Swissport expects to cover more than 170 flights and an average of almost 23,000 passengers per day during the summer.
Swissport covers more than 70% of ground handling operations in Geneva. Irregularities, sometimes successive, can have a negative impact on team availability. To cover these various irregularities as effectively as possible, due to weather conditions or airspace overloads, Swissport tested a team planning model during the summer of 2023 which incorporates statistical data on delays from previous years. This anticipation model, which considers the irregularities calculated in the summer of 2023, will be applied again and reinforced in the summer of 2024, thereby reducing the time taken to cover flights in the event of irregularities.
Dnata ready for summer 2024
Like Swissport, Dnata has strengthened its workforce through a number of recruitments. The company has also focused on ongoing training and increasing the versatility of its staff. Finally, a major effort has been made to anticipate risks.