gva. news Summer-2016 No 65
Highlight The city of Pisa is one of Italy’s most important cultural centres. Its many historical treasures include the Piazza dei Miracoli, with its cathedral and world-famous bell tower, better known as the Leaning Tower. These architectural gems are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as are many towns in Tuscany. In fact, Pisa airport is the ideal starting point for
Geneva to the Leaning Tower – a 70-minute hop !
pro visiting the province, for example towns like Sienna or San Gimignano, its Chianti region and its superb landscapes of olive groves. Not to mention the wonderful cuisine, to be tasted without delay! On 1 February 2016, easyJet started flying direct between Genève Aéroport and Pisa. The schedule of three weekly flights – Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays – makes it easy to plan a four-day weekend, leaving early on Friday morning and coming home Monday evening. With the Leaning Tower less than 4 km from the runway, and beautiful Lucca and Florence a 15- and 45-minute drive away respectively, Pisa is now the gateway for all Genève Aéroport passengers who have fallen under Tuscany’s spell. A Tuscan municipality with a population of roughly 90,000, Pisa is bisected by the Arno River. Until the fourteenth century, it was one of the Maritime Republics, along with Amalfi, Venice and Genoa, and one of the peninsula’s most dynamic cities. Like Venice and Genoa, it helped embark soldiers for the Holy Land. The especially pious Pisan sailors returning from Palestine decided to bring back a bit of earth walked on by Christ. That earth, deposited in a clearly delimited rectangle, soon acquired a reputation for miracles. It would become the famous piazza that is instantly recognizable today thanks to its Leaning Tower and other buildings.
One the city’s most important monuments, located on the famed World Heritage Site the Square of Miracles (today known as the Piazza Duomo), the Romanesque marble Cathedral was built between 1064 and 1118; it has bronze doors cast by Bonanno Pisano and holds Giovanni Pisano’s pulpit. The world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa is in fact the cathedral bell tower. The twelfth-century Tower took 176 years to build and is 55 metres high. It started to tilt right after being finished, like most of the buildings from that period, because of the particularly loose soil. Before being consolidated in 1990, the Tower had an inclination of 10 degrees. Today it inclines at an angle of 3.99 degrees, or 5 metres from the perpendicular. It has recently been further consolidated, and should remain standing for at least another two centuries. Next to the Tower, the Baroque facades of Pisa’s typically pink- and yellow-ochre, green-shuttered houses rise above cheerful trattorie and gelaterie. Gates and high walls hide what one imagines are secret gardens, watched over by tall cypresses. Beyond lies all of Tuscany, a promise waiting to be kept, time and again… www.italia.it www.easyjet.com
airlines Emirates: two daily flights to Geneva coming up! Starting on 1 June 2016,, Emirates will operate a second daily flight from Geneva to Dubai,, thereby doubling its offer on that route and increasing its total outbound capacity from Switzerland by 26 per cent. In future, passengers will benefit from twice-daily optimal connections from Geneva to Dubai and within the Emirates global network. The extra daily flight will be operated by Boeing 777-300ER aircraft configured in three classes. Passengers will be able to select from eight private suites in First Class, 42 fully extendable seats in Business Class and 310 comfortable seats in Economy Class. www.emirates.com
Vueling launches flights between Geneva and Rome As part of the campaign to develop its Rome hub, on 27 March 2016 Vueling will start flying directly between Geneva and Fiumicino Airport four times a week, increasing to six times a week (every day but Saturday) in June. The flights will be operated by Airbus A320 (180 seats). For the 2016 summer season, Vueling will also increase the number of its Geneva-Barcelona flights to two a day. Vueling is a low-cost Spanish carrier established in 2004 and currently part of the IAG Group (the parent company of British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, etc.). It operates a fleet of over 90 aircraft, chiefly 180-seat Airbus A320s. Its network extends to over 130 European cities and several mediumhaul destinations, and its two biggest hubs are Barcelona and Rome. It has been a member of IATA since 2015. www.vueling.com
Turkish Airlines doubles down on Geneva As of 27 March, Turkish Airlines will be operating more flights between Istanbul and Geneva. From 21, it will increase the number of flights per week to 25 and then to 29 during the high season, i.e. from 2 July to 11 September. www.turkishairlines.com
Even more Mediterranean with EZY In addition to Olbia and Cagliari, easyJet will fly to a third airport in Sardinia, Alghero, up to twice a week (Wednesdays, Sundays) during the summer high season, from 29 June to 4 September 2016. Farther east, Malta’s multicultural charms will enthrall beach and history lovers throughout the entire summer season, from 29 March to the end of October 2016. www.eaysyjet.com
transport
SWISS steps up its summer offer Given the success of its summer 2015 schedule, SWISS is consolidating its summer net network from Geneva, stepping up the number of flights to Biarritz, Corfu, Calvi and Ajaccio, and launching flights to Lamezia Terme. Until the end of October, SWISS will fly direct to Biarritz and Corfu three times instead of twice a week. It will also operate an Avro RJ 100 on weekly flights (Saturday) between 2 July and 20 August to a new destination, Lamezia Terme. At the same time, SWISS will start flying to Munich (instead of Lufthansa) in April 2016. On the Airline Route website, the preliminary schedule lists four daily flights by Airbus A319. www.swiss.com
newsgva New e-service platform
At the end of April, Genève Aéroport will unveil a new version of its e-service platform. The platform has been entirely redesigned and will also be more efficient. It can be used to reserve a parking space, Priority Lane access and entry to the transit lounge. In a subsequent phase, B2B partners will be given specific access, enabling them to use the platform’s products more flexibly and easily. Website: www.gva.ch/e-services
Le Chef
A new gastronomic restaurant! An inventive menu devised by Benjamin Luzuy, local produce, all with a view on the planes: allow your taste buds to be tempted at Genève Aéroport in this new dining location offering a host of settings in freely and tastefully renovated neo-industrial surroundings.
tation New edition of the Access/Car parks/Transportation brochure
Everything you need to know about getting to and parking at Genève Aéroport! Browse, download and order the brochure. www.gva.ch/publications www.lechef-geneve.ch
New bus links from Genève Aéroport
Transdev offers better service to three destinations in Haute-Savoie : Transdev HauteSavoie will now drive you to and from Annecy, Chamonix and St-Gervais for the price of 21 euros one way. The regional lines Transalis/ Lihsa T72 (Annecy, Cruseilles, Saint-Julien-enGenevois) and T74 (Chamonix, Saint-Gervais, Cluses, Bonneville, Nangy) add to the possibilities for getting to Genève Aéroport during the week and on weekends. www.gva.ch/transports-france
Genève Aéroport grew in 2015
The number of passengers handled by Genève Aéroport rose by over 4 per cent in 2015. Throughout the year, the airport welcomed nearly 15.8 million travellers, or 4.1 per cent more than in 2014 (15,152,915 passengers in 2014, 5.0% increase). This reflects the robust health of the main carriers active on the platform in different market segments. Having expanded their networks, both easyJet and Swiss International Air Lines consolidated their position. The annual report, which will come out in early April 2016, will contain more detailed information and the financial statements.
Passengers Movements Cargo (tonnes)
www.gva.ch
2014
2015
Change 2015 / 2014
15’152’915 187’596 78’933
15’771’271 188’829 70’418
+4,1% +0,7% -10,8%
recentevents First scheduled flight by the SWISS Boeing 777-300ER
sponsorship Team Genève
Having supported the athletes of Team Genève at the 2012 Olympic Games, Genève Aéroport takes enormous pleasure in repeating the experience for the 2016 Olympics.
The first 777-300ER operated by Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) landed at Geneva in February, on its maiden scheduled flight. Arrival on the tarmac at Genève Aéroport. www.swiss.com
Mahana - Lyon
Mahana Lyon, the tourism fair of the Rhône Alpes region, took place in early March at the Tony Garnier Hall, a great opportunity for Genève Aéroport to present what’s new for summer 2016 and to raffle off Air China tickets to China and Eurolines bus tickets (Lyon Perrache Genève Aéroport). www.salons-du-tourisme.com/Lyon
What is Team Genève? It’s an organization bringing together top athletes from the canton of Geneva who excel in various sports and have been selected for the summer or winter Olympic Games. The Canton of Geneva, the City of Geneva and the Association of Geneva Municipalities, supported by Genève Aéroport, pledge to provide financial assistance to, heighten the visibility of and spotlight the performance of these exceptional athletes during the four years leading up to the Olympics. www.teamgeneve.ch
Swiss Elite track and field championship 2016
Also in the field of sports, Genève Aéroport supports the Swiss Athletics track and field championships, which will be held on 16 and 17 July 2016 at the Bout-du-Monde Stadium (Geneva). It’s the ideal opportunity to admire athletes who achieved terrific results at the recent World Championships in Beijing. The Swiss Elite championships bring together 60 clubs represented by 400 athletes selected from 32 different disciplines. www.cs2016.ch
Win!
As part of its partnership with the Geneva Lions, Genève Aéroport is pleased to offer three packages for two for the Swiss Cup basketball game on 9 April at 5 p.m. in Zurich. The packages comprise tickets to the game, travel to and from ZRH and a surprise. The winners will leave Geneva by bus at 1 p.m. To participate, send your mailing and e-mail addresses by 4 April 2016 to concours@gva.ch
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Genève Aéroport • Marketing & Business Development • Case postale 100 • CH-1215 Genève 15 • gva.ch • marketing@gva.ch Photo credit : Genève Aéroport, Pise: Claude Hervé-Bazin / 30°, Le Chef : Christophe Michaud, Jean-Luc Altherr, team Genève, cs 2016 Printed on Cyclus Print 100% recycled paper