Geneva-Cointrin has finally returned to the level of passenger numbers seen in the past. Last year, the French-speaking hub welcomed almost 18 million passengers. This is barely less than the traffic forecast for 2019. The last year before Covid saw 17.93 million passengers use Switzerland's second busiest airport.
Geneva treated exactly 17.796 million passengers, an increase of 7.97% compared with 2023. Last year, the airport was linked to 146 destinationsThis is stable compared with 2023.
The market shares of the top ten airlines over the past year confirm easyJet's dominance. It generated 46.9% of traffic. It is followed by Swiss (12.4%), British Airways (4.5%) and Air France (3.2%).Iberia (2.9%), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (2.4%), TAP Portugal (1.9%), Emirates (1.8%), Turkish Airlines (1.8%) and Air Dolomiti/Lufthansa (1.6%).
Airport management believes that 2025 will see Cointrin definitively turn the page on the Covid years. Traffic is expected to exceed 18 million passengers.
The authorities are particularly satisfied with the lower increase in aircraft movements compared with traffic. Traffic rose by just 3.62%. This increase can be attributed to a policy of encouraging airlines to use larger aircraft, in particular through more favourable fares.
Fewer night flights
The airport also encourages airlines to favour latest-generation aircraft which help to limit noise emissions. These aircraft represented 31,85% of scheduled and charter aircraft movements in 2024. This share of latest-generation aircraft is up 208.1% since 2017.
Geneva Cointrin wants to continue to reduce noise pollution, a necessity for an airport located practically in the city centre. Since 1 January, a system of dissuasive charges has been in force in order to further reduce late take-offs after 10 p.m.. This fee is between 5,000 and 20,000 Swiss francs (1 CHF = 1.05 €) for European flights and between 10,000 and 40,000 Swiss francs for intercontinental flights. The system, which will be tested in 2024, has proved its effectiveness. The number of take-offs after 10pm was down 36.16% compared with 2023.
