Geneva Airport
General information
Geneva Airport is the second busiest airport in Switzerland after Zurich Airport, at a very short distance from Geneva and the French border. Many of the flights at the airport are operated by Swiss and easyJet Switzerland. The airport consists of two terminals (T1 and T2) and a long runway of 3,900 metres. People departing from Geneva Airport Terminal 1 to an airport in France can use the check-in desks and security check in the French sector (“secteur France”). Travellers flying from a French destination to Geneva Airport can choose to take the French or Swiss exit. Travellers flying from a Swiss or international destination to Geneva Airport must first go through Swiss customs and then decide to leave the airport via the Swiss or French exit (“destination France”). Interestingly, the French exit is on Swiss territory, via the Route Douanière and Route de Ferney you will reach the French village of Ferney-Voltaire in 10 minutes.
Location
Where is Geneva Airport situated?
Geneva is located at the western tip of Switzerland, the airport is northwest of the city close to the French border. By car, the airport can be accessed via the A1/E62 motorway, exit 7 Grand-Saconnex from the north or exit 6 Genève-Aéroport from the south. If you are flying from Geneva Airport to an airport in France, you can follow the signs ‘Aéroport secteur France’ on the roads around the airport.
How many terminals does Geneva Airport have?
The airport has two terminals, namely T1 and T2. Terminal 1 is also known as Main Terminal (M) because Terminal 2 of the airport is used much less. Terminal 2 is only used for charter flights in the winter months, as the airport is conveniently located close to the ski resorts in the Alps. In Terminal 1 you will find the Arrivals hall on the ground floor, the check-in desks on the first floor and the security checkpoint (Gates A, B, C, D, E) on the second floor. The East Wing for long-haul flights is the newest part of T1, opened in 2021. Terminal 1 is open from 04:00 hours to midnight. Geneva Airport has a very nice panorama terrace at the top of Terminal 1, free for everyone to visit.
Airport Map
Nearby airports
A good alternative for flying to or from Geneva Airport are the following airports, sorted by distance from the airport. You can also take a look at the complete list of airports in Switzerland.
| Airport | Distance |
|---|---|
| Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport (France) | 97km |
| Bern Airport | 130km |
| Turin Airport (Italy) | 166km |
| Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Airport | 186km |
Transportation
Car
The distance from Geneva Airport to the centre of Geneva is 6 kilometres. By car, it takes 20 minutes to get to the centre of Geneva. Another city nearby is Lausanne, the distance from the airport to the city centre is 59 kilometres. Travel time is approximately 40 minutes.
From GVA Airport to Geneva City centre by Car
Public transport
It is possible to travel to and from Geneva Airport by public transport. If you opt for public transport to and from Geneva Airport you can travel by train and bus. Visit the Geneva Airport transportation page for the possibilities.
Taxi transfer
A taxi is the quickest and most comfortable way to get to and from Geneva Airport. The price for a taxi ride from the airport to the centre of Geneva is about CHF 40.-. Book your taxi at Geneva Airport and discover the comfort of pre-booked taxis.
From GVA Airport to Geneva City centre by Taxi
Car rental
At Geneva Airport you can rent a car from car rental companies Avis, Budget, National (Enterprise Holdings), Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz, Thrifty (The Hertz Corporation), Sixt and local providers. It is most convenient to find and book a car well in advance. By doing so, you can save money and time at the airport.
Airport parking
Geneva Airport offers various official parking options, from premium to low cost. In addition, alternative parking options are available near the airport. If you want to park as cheaply as possible, it's wise to book online!
At the airport
Do you want more information about facilities, currency exchange, services, free Wi-Fi, lounges, etc. at Geneva Airport? Check our at the airport page for a complete overview of all facilities and services at Geneva Airport.
Flights
Departures and arrivals
Looking for departure times and/or arrival times? Find the latest flight status information for flights departing from and arriving at Geneva Airport.
Flight tickets
Looking for a cheap flight? Use our flight search engine to find and book cheap flights from and to the airport.
Which airlines fly from and to Geneva Airport?
We offer you a list of airlines at Geneva Airport. The main airlines at the airport are:
- Swiss
- easyJet Switzerland
- Air Canada
- easyJet
- British Airways
Accommodations
Hotels near the airport
Looking for the best hotels near Geneva Airport? We have selected the best hotels near the airport in different price ranges. Take a look at our accommodations page for more information.
Hotels in Geneva
Looking for the best hotels in Geneva? We have selected the best hotels in the city in different price ranges. Take a look at our accommodations page for more information.
Things to do
It is possible to book tickets, activities and tours in the city and near Geneva Airport. You can avoid queues and save money by buying your tickets online. Planning a trip and wondering what to do, we give you some inspiration!
Chamonix, Aiguille du Midi & Mer de Glace Full-Day Trip
Take a drive through the picturesque Arve Valley from Geneva to Chamonix at the foot of Mont-Blanc, the highest peak in Europe. Enjoy breathtaking panoramas as you explore some dramatic mountain landscapes by train and cable car as well.
Reviews
Have you visited Geneva Airport lately? So far, 6 airport passengers have written an airport review about Geneva Airport. This airport has an average score of 1 out of 5. Provide other airport travellers with essential airport information and tell us about your airport experience.
Latest airport reviews
This is the worst airport I have ever had the misfortune to use. There were no clear directions to car rental and it took an hour driving round and round the roadworks. And then eventually we could only find the Swiss location for car return. Fortunately a kind Avis agent drove us to the French side. Here there were no signs for departures. Everything seems designed to confuse the traveler. The queue for passport control was frightening as we were well late by now! Fortunately a kind officer let us use the EU queue.
Your new gates are scandalous as the walk to gate C 60 is a very long way. Did the intelligent airport authorities not think of older people? Or would they rather we did not travel! You queue for passports wherever where else there are electronic gates. Why do we have biometric passports for? This airport is a bad joke.
I have never in all my years of travelling seen such chaos at an airport as I witnessed this morning coming back from Geneva . Getting off the bus and check in was ok but then the longest queue to go through security followed by an
Even longer queue to get a shuttle bus to the main terminal. A moment of respite from queues before we decided that it would be a good idea to go
To our gate. 15 min walk and THEN an hour and a half of What can only be described as a scrum as 10 flights heading to the uk due to all take off within 30 mins of each other mosh pitted their way to the 4 measly slow passport control booths many queue barging, arguing, pushing as everyone panicked about missing their flights. When we finally got to our gate 10 mins after we were due to take off we were told there were still 100 passengers that hadn’t yet made it to the gate.!! Needless to say we were over an hour late to take off. Chaos