Geneva Airport bids in privatisation of Lyon Airport as Geneva breaks traffic record
Geneva Airport is one of the two major gateways into Switzerland, along with Zürich Airport. It is the one closest to the eastern part of France, actually straddling the boundary with that country. Mainly a point-to-point airport hosting O&D traffic, it does have a minor hub role; however, that responsibility falls mainly to Zürich Airport where the airline Swiss - a member of the Lufthansa Group and the Star Alliance - has much greater capacity.
Geneva Airport is in competition with other Swiss airports such as Zürich and the transnational Europort (Basel) but also with the French airport of Lyon, around 150 km distant by road, and, to a lesser degree those at Turin and Milan in Italy.
Intriguingly, Geneva Airport has recently let it be known that it has submitted a bid in the privatisation of Lyon St Exupéry Airport in France, in what would be its first venture into foreign airport management if it were successful.
This report examines Geneva Airport by way of several sets of metrics, comparing the airports that are rivals to it, and examining its construction activities and ownership.
Bilateral agreements with the EU determine air traffic arrangements
It is useful, as background, to discuss recent political history and the economic trends in Switzerland that influence activity at Geneva Airport.
The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291. A constitution of 1848, subsequently modified in 1874, replaced the confederation with a centralised federal government. Switzerland's sovereignty and neutrality have long been honoured by the major European powers. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half-century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organisations, have strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbours, but Switzerland remains outside the European Union (EU).
Relations between Switzerland and the EU are framed by a series of bilateral treaties whereby the Swiss Confederation has adopted various provisions of EU law in order to participate in the EU's single market, including aviation.
Switzerland was historically a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) but membership of the European Economic Area (EEA) was rejected by the Swiss in a referendum in 1992.
This had the effect of suspending a latent application for EU membership. Subsequently two sets of bilateral treaties were signed, 10 in all, and air traffic was in the first tranche (Bilateral 1), which came into force in Jun-2002.
These bilaterals came under pressure in 2014 when Swiss voters narrowly accepted a referendum limiting the movement of foreign citizens to Switzerland. The implementation of this referendum would entail renouncing the agreement on the free movement of people and the triggering of a Guillotine clause that would collapse the six other Bilateral 1 agreements.
The situation remains unresolved, and in Mar-2016 the Swiss National Council voted to withdraw its suspended application for EU membership. The motion is still to be reviewed by the Council of States, but with a potential exit from the EU by Britain looming relations between Switzerland and the EU might be considered as being at their lowest ebb.
Outside its status in Europe, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organisations but retains a strong commitment to neutrality.
A snapshot of economic indicators for Switzerland
The sovereign debt crises unfolding in neighbouring euro-zone countries, coupled with ongoing economic instability in Russia and other eastern European economies, continue to pose a significant risk to the Swiss economy, driving up demand for the Swiss franc by investors seeking a safe-haven currency. The independent Swiss National Bank has upheld its zero interest rate policy and conducted major market interventions to prevent further appreciation of the Swiss franc, but parliamentarians have urged it to do more to weaken the currency.
The SFR's strength has made Swiss exports less competitive and weakened the country's growth outlook; GDP growth fell below 2% per year from 2011-15 and looks to stay that way in forthcoming years.
GDP Growth of Switzerland (Percent change)
Inflation has been in negative territory since 2012 and remains there currently, at much the same rate as in the Euro Zone. It is expected to rise towards +1% next year.
Inflation, average consumer prices of Switzerland (Percent change)
The unemployment rate has remained static since 2010; projected to 2020 - in the range 2.8% to 3.2%.
Unemployment rate of Switzerland (Percent of total labour force)
Geneva a major government and financial centre
Geneva is the second most populous city in Switzerland, with close to 0.5 million people in the city proper and immediate suburbs. A larger urban area of over one million people crosses over the border into France. It is the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva.
Despite its relatively small size (it is referred to as 'the world's most compact metropolis') Geneva is classed as a global city. It is a financial centre and a worldwide centre for diplomacy on account of the presence of many of the agencies of the United Nations (UN) and also the Red Cross. Geneva is reputed to host the highest number of international organisations in the world.
In the financial sphere Geneva has been ranked by the Global Financial Centres Index as the world's ninth most important financial centre in terms of competitiveness, ahead of Frankfurt, and third in Europe behind London and Zürich. It is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in.
Otherwise Geneva is heavily oriented towards the services sector generally and while international organisations are headquartered there, manufacturing facilities are often not.
These statistics suggest that Geneva Airport caters mainly to high value business traffic, but employees of government agencies and NGOs are often expatriates and they travel for VFR purposes quite frequently. There are reported to be over 20,000 of them in Geneva. Hence the rapid growth of Ryanair and Charleroi airport when that airport began to compete with Brussels Zaventem airport in the early 2000s. This was before Ryanair began operating at Zaventem (Brussels being home to the European Union, NATO etc.). There is no airport comparable with Charleroi in Switzerland, or close by in neighbouring countries.
Geneva Airport competes with Swiss, French and Italian airports
Geneva lies at the southwest edge of Switzerland, with Zürich towards the northeast edge, and the capital Bern between the two. While there are other airports (Bern, Euroairport, Lugano etc.), out of the eight million population the majority of traffic arising is made up of visitors and transiters gravitating towards Geneva and Zürich airports and there are limited domestic air services feeding them.
But landlocked Switzerland also influences, and is influenced, by conurbations and their airports in the neighbouring countries of Germany, Austria, France and Italy.
In Geneva's case the significant competing airports (which feature as a peer group here) are those at Zürich, Euroairport (Basel), Lyon, Turin and Milan. Lyon is the closest, at 150 km by road (110km by air) and Milan the furthest at 315 km (250 km by air). Note: In the case of Milan, the selected peer group airport is Malpensa.
Map of the area encompassing Geneva, Zürich, Lyon and northern Italy
Geneva Airport: below Zürich and Milan airports on key metrics
The table below compares these airports.
Most are O&D airports handling tourism or business traffic or both. The two that are differentiated are Zürich and Milan Malpensa because they have a hub status. At Zürich the transfer rate is approximately 30%.
Rankings by assorted metrics (1):
|
Airport/metric world ranking |
ASKs |
Seats |
Frequencies |
Cargo payload |
Pax 2015 (unless stated) (million) |
City population (million) |
|
142 |
124 |
117 |
179 |
15.8 |
0.5 |
|
|
56 |
72 |
72 |
61 |
26.3 |
1.8 |
|
|
Euroairport |
1229 |
1369 |
1705 |
1708 |
7.1 |
0.67 1 |
|
240 |
184 |
153 |
301 |
8.7 |
2.2 |
|
|
428 |
348 |
373 |
478 |
3.7 |
2.2 |
|
|
73 |
97 |
108 |
54 |
18.6 |
3.2 |
The statistics in the table above confirm Zürich and Milan Malpensa airports as the regional leaders within this group in all categories.
Zürich leads, but Geneva has a high passenger airline total
The more important comparison though is between Geneva and Zürich airports where Zürich again leads in all categories, the closest gap being in the number of frequencies.
The table below summarises Geneva Airport's route network at this time and the table below that compares Geneva with its peer group in network terms.
Geneva Airport Network Summary (at 11-Apr-2016)
|
52 |
|
|
Domestic only |
2 |
|
International |
50 |
|
Total nonstop passenger destinations |
106 |
|
Domestic |
2 |
|
7 |
|
|
1 |
|
|
84 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
8 |
|
|
4 |
|
|
Total nonstop freight destinations |
0 |
|
Domestic |
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
0 |
Rankings by assorted metrics (2):
|
Airport |
Total airlines |
Pax traffic 2015 (unless stated) (million) |
Airline to pax ratio |
International airlines |
Nonstop passenger destinations |
Nonstop freight destinations |
|
52 |
15.8 |
0.30 |
50 |
106 |
0 |
|
|
55 |
26.3 |
0.48 |
53 |
136 |
2 |
|
|
Euroairport |
23 |
7.1 |
0.30 |
23 |
71 |
8 |
|
35 |
8.7 |
0.24 |
31 |
90 |
3 |
|
|
20 |
3.7 |
0.18 |
18 |
33 |
0 |
|
|
73 |
18.6 |
0.25 |
72 |
141 |
33 |
This table shows that Geneva's passenger airline total is quite high for an airport of its size, with only a small gap between it and Zürich Airport, meaning a high degree of choice. Malpensa Airport, though, has the broadest spread of airlines. Geneva's position with regard to freight is not high as there is little call for cargo services; for outbound freight at least.
A low score on the 'airline to pax ratio' usually suggests that a greater proportion of the local population uses the airport. Geneva's ratio is fairly low but other airports have smaller scores.
Geneva's catchment area extends beyond the metropolitan area boundaries into France, as far as Grenoble to the south and Besançon in the north, and much of the traffic is inbound for business or leisure (e.g. skiing) purposes. Its score is lower than Zürich Airport's - that airport having a higher mix of hub passengers.
Seat capacity steadily rising
The growth in seat capacity at the airport has been steady during the last three years. Capacity for 2016 is not yet fully determined.
Geneva Airport, seats capacity year on year, system wide
The chart below demonstrates how seat capacity (so far in 2016) compares with previous years. A similar pattern is being followed, but at a higher base level.
Geneva Airport seats, system wide, per week, 2014-2016
SWISS has a relatively small presence
While easyJet and easyJet Switzerland do not dominate the airport they are a major force, with well over one third of all seat capacity, as shown below. SWISS occupies a comparatively small 15.8% with no other airline exceeding 5.6%. In comparison, it has over 55% of capacity at Zürich. (The frequencies chart is very similar).
Geneva Airport capacity seats, per week, system, all airlines, 11-Apr-2016 to 17-Apr-2016
The chart below is of seat capacity distribution by region, with Western Europe by far the main one. (Within Western Europe the UK has the largest capacity at 19.7% of the total). Asia is very thinly represented.
A further chart presents this data as a 'heat map' which emphasises the capacity focus on Europe.
Geneva Airport international capacity seats by region, 11-Apr-2016 to 17-Apr-2016
Geneva Airport international capacity seats by region 'heat map' 11-Apr-2016 to 17-Apr-2016
The airport's current route network is shown here.
Nonstop connectivity. Geneva is very strong on European routes, but not on Asia
The chart below contrasts the peer group airports in terms of nonstop connectivity. Again the strength of Geneva in the European sector is made clear - Europe accounts easily for the majority of its nonstop services. The weakness in Asia as a whole is equally clear. Geneva ties with Zürich on the number of services to Africa and the Middle East, though it lags Zürich on North American services.
There is a statistical outlier here in the form of Lyon Airport, which is the obvious leader within this group for African services. While it is extremely unlikely that Geneva Airport's interest in the privatisation of Lyon Airport hinges on this fact, it may well be an influential factor.
Nonstop connectivity values of Geneva, Zürich, Euroairport, Lyon, Turin and Milan Malpensa departing airports, 11-Apr-2016 to 17-Apr-2016
An airport for business - up to a point
Geneva is not the airport alluded to earlier - dominated by full service business airlines. While 54.5% of seats might be on full service airlines, 45.5% are not, and most of the remainder is on low cost airlines - the easyJet operation, Germanwings, Jet2.com, Norwegian, Pegasus, Transavia, Vueling and Wizz Air.
Geneva Airport capacity seat share by airline type (system) 11-Apr-2016 to 17-Apr-2016
That traffic split is compared here with the airport's peer-competitors.
Comparison of selected airports by airline type - seat availability, 11-Apr-2016 to 17-Apr-2016
|
Airport |
% of seats on FSCs |
% of seats on LCCs |
% of seats on other modes (e.g. regional, charter airlines) |
Clarification of previous column |
|
54.5 |
43.8 |
1.6 |
Regional & Commuter |
|
|
92.1 |
6.2 |
1.7 |
Regional & Commuter and charter |
|
|
Euroairport |
25.8 |
74.0 |
0.2 |
Charter |
|
64.4 |
34.0 |
1.6 |
Regional & Commuter and charter |
|
|
56.5 |
43.4 |
0.1 |
Regional & Commuter |
|
|
55.6 |
43.5 |
0.9 |
Regional & Commuter |
Geneva is similar to Turin and Milan Malpensa airports as measured by the ratio of FSC seats; it is well ahead of Europort but lags Zürich by some distance. Geneva Airport is also less exposed to FSCs than is Lyon Airport.
50% of capacity is on unaligned airlines
As for airline alliances, while all three are represented and the Star Alliance is the one able to offer most seats (31.6% of capacity) it is still the case that marginally over half of all capacity is on unaligned airlines. Oneworld and SkyTeam are relatively thinly represented. The Star Alliance airlines at Geneva include Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines.
Geneva Airport capacity seats share by alliance (system) 11-Apr-2016 to 17-Apr-2016
Business Class seating ample, but only half the ratio at Zürich
A new facility provided by CAPA permits a comparison of the percentage of seats available in different classes (First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy) - compared between airports and as a worldwide average. The chart below is for the same peer group as before.
Geneva Airport has no First Class seat provision at this time and has very little Premium Economy, which is more often found on mid/long haul services. It has the second highest level of Business Class seating in the group, though that is only half of the total at Zürich.
Geneva Airport schedule by class of seat - one way weekly departing (airport comparison by seat type)
Six-hour curfew and proximity to built-up areas
Operationally, Geneva Airport has a midnight to 0600 curfew for slot allocation - the airport is situated only 4 km (2.5 miles) from the city centre and close to built-up areas, as below.
The distribution of arriving and departing seats is as in the chart below. As represented by the seat distribution, the synchronisation of arriving and departing aircraft for a typical day - Thursday 14-Apr-2016 - is remarkably even throughout most of the day. One potential downside is that there are no evident off-peak gaps to fill at this single runway airport which must run close to capacity at times.
Irrespective of their mode of transport, business travellers typically travel at peak times where they have the choice.
Geneva Airport seats per hour total system, all airlines, all terminals, all origins/destinations, typical day Thursday 14-Apr-2016
The vast majority of flight times, over 75%, are in the range 0-2 hours, emphasising the European nature of operations and indicative of Geneva's central position on the European continent.
Geneva Airport seats by length of flight (system) 11-Apr-2016 to 17-Apr-2016
The chart below presents this information in a different format, contrasting flight time with weekly frequencies,
Geneva Airport frequencies (system) 11-Apr-2016 to 17-Apr-2016
Passenger traffic growth steady and increasing - records broken in 2015
As with seat capacity, passenger traffic has been increasing steadily since 2012, to reach a record for the airport at 15.8 million in 2015. Separate data indicates average growth of 8% in the first two months of 2016 compared with 4.1% in the whole of 2015.
Geneva Airport annual - Passenger numbers
Cargo - UAE is largest country market
There are no dedicated air freight airlines at Geneva Airport though three parcels carriers are operating. Otherwise, all cargo capacity is provided in the belly hold of passenger aircraft. International freight makes up 87.7% of the total.
Compared with passenger capacity, of which almost 40% is on easyJet, in the freight market Swiss is the main capacity provider. The contribution of Emirates, which is greater than that of several European airlines, should not be overlooked.
Geneva Airport capacity per week, cargo payload, full system, 11-Apr-2016 to 17-Apr-2016
At 48.9% Western Europe is the largest regional market in terms of overall freight capacity but the largest single country market is the UAE, closely followed by the US. (The largest single route by capacity is London Heathrow, just ahead of Dubai International).
Geneva Airport, total international capacity (cargo payload) by country, 11-Apr-2016 to 17-Apr-2016
Terminals and construction - T2 low cost refurbishment abandoned; T1 benefits from 'Aile Est' project
Geneva Airport has two passenger terminals, known simply as Terminal 1 (the Main Terminal) and Terminal 2. It is divided into five piers, A, B, C, D and F. Some gates at two of the piers, A and D, are Schengen gates. Gates at piers B, C, and some at pier D, are used for flights to destinations outside the Schengen area. Pier C is used primarily for wide body aircraft.
Prior to Switzerland's integration into the Schengen Area in 2008, Pier F, also known as the French Sector, was used exclusively for passengers arriving from, or departing to, destinations in France. In that way passengers could take an 'internal' flight to a French airport without having to pass through Swiss territory.
This French Sector area still exists for passengers arriving from French destinations who wish to exit directly to French territory and avoid Swiss customs controls, although passport control and immigration checks were dropped as part of the Schengen Treaty, one that is under review following recent terrorist outrages in Paris and Brussels (there could be far-reaching problems for airports if Schengen passage facilities were removed).
Terminal 2, the original terminal, is sparsely used; partly by Saudia and then during the winter charter flight (ski) season. It was constructed in 1946 and remained in constant use until the 1960s when the Main Terminal opened. Facilities at Terminal 2 are relatively simple compared with T1 and it is used only to check in, after which passengers are transferred to T1. Terminal 2's throughput remains minuscule today.
Geneva Airport terminal share (seats) by system, 11-Apr-2016 to 17-Apr-2016
There is no segregation of alliances by terminals, only by piers.
Geneva Airport - Airlines and Alliances by Terminal
|
Terminal |
Airline |
Alliance |
|
Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 1 |
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Terminal 1 |
Unaligned |
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Terminal 2 |
But the story could have been different. In a case study that was considered in some detail in both editions of the CAPA Low Cost Airports and Terminals Report in the mid-late 2000s, Geneva Airport wanted to refurbish T2 as a low cost terminal, with reduced fees (up to 40% less than T1) and basic facilities. It would handle 2-3 million passengers initially, extending to up to four million later. At that time the main LCCs at Geneva - easyJet, Hapag-Lloyd and Virgin Express were handling around two million ppa, a quarter (25%) of the total. (As revealed previously the LCC seat ratio is now 43.8%).
Other major airlines, led by Lufthansa and Air France, threatened to leave the airport if easyJet "got its own terminal with lower landing charges." The then IATA Director General joined the argument, stating that IATA would not accept any situation that amounted to the cross-subsidisation of a redeveloped T2 with subsidies from T1.
Although Geneva Airport 'won' its case in a succession of court hearings, the project was never implemented since the management turned its attention to upgrades to T1 instead. The case became something of a benchmark for other proposed budget terminals in Europe where there was any intention allegedly to cross-subsidise at the expense of full service/network airlines.
Those upgrades at T1 focused on the reconstruction of Pier C in a project named Aile Est (East Wing), started in 2012, enabling the simultaneous handling of six wide body aircraft, including one A380.
According to the CAPA Airport Construction Database the Aile Est project continues as a 7800 sqm Non-Schengen facility. The facility will cost CHF340 million (EUR283 million/USD350 million). The entire wing is scheduled to be completed in 2020.
Linked to the existing Main terminal and responds to an increase in commercial activity in medium and long haul flights at the airport. The facility provides a new Departures and Arrivals Halls, contact stands and gate lounge seating for departing passengers, additional first class airline lounges and technical basements. Construction is being undertaken without the need to resort to debt on a year-by-year basis.
Ownership and privatisation - public entity pursues another, in France, for philanthropic reasons
Unlike Zürich Airport, Geneva Airport has never gone down the privatisation route and is owned 100% by the City and Canton of Geneva. Zürich was partially privatised in 1999 in a complex procedure involving a flotation on the Zürich Stock Exchange and a commitment that Canton of Zürich must always hold a minimum of one third of the shares in Flughafen Zürich AG plus one share.
There is no known history of Geneva Airport taking an interest in any other airport, in Switzerland or elsewhere, until Sep-2015 when it was first reported that Geneva Airport had expressed an interest in the forthcoming privatisation of the nearby Lyon Airport in France as part of the CUBE consortium. Geneva Airport would contribute its management expertise rather than funding, if successful. It is understood that Geneva Airport was approached by CUBE specifically for this expertise.
A formal bid was lodged in Apr-2016; 49.9% of Aéroport de Lyon's capital will be floated.
The CUBE Investment Fund is currently affiliated with the Natixis group, an international financing, management and financial services bank of the BPCE (Banque Populaire-Caisse dépargne) group, the second-largest banking group in France - firmly established in the French regions and with local authorities. At least 12 other operators and funds have also expressed an interest in either or both of Lyon and Nice airports, the latter of which is being privatised at the same time. Geneva Airport has declared no interest in the larger Nice Airport.
As the CAPA Airport Investor Database stated in Sep-2015, motives for the interest in Lyon Airport are unclear but some rational conclusions can be drawn.
As indicated earlier, the airports are situated only 150km apart and they are considered to be largely friendly trans-Alps rivals that have maintained a friendly rivalry and good relations, with collaboration on some aspects of their operations. This collaboration includes land use planning over a border region that is undergoing metropolisation.
So, the benefits of Geneva Airport taking part in a consortium that takes over the running of Lyon St Exupéry Airport (and the smaller Bron Airport) are far more likely to be manifested in this mutually philanthropic fashion than by the ringing of a cash register.
Just how it would affect Lyon Airport's small investments (in Kosovo's Pristina Airport) and its ambitions (in working with Chinese companies to develop one or more airports in Iran) is another issue.
Summary & Conclusions
- Switzerland operates within an external political system (regarding its relations with the EU) that remains uncertain in the immediate future, and within an internal economic system that has been adversely affected by the strength of the Swiss Franc.
- The main economic indicators are quite stable.
- Geneva is mainly a government and financial centre and is classed as a global city for those reasons, despite its small size.
- There is likely to be a great deal of business use of Geneva Airport but also leisure use on account of expatriate traffic and incoming tourists.
- Geneva Airport competes with others in Switzerland but also with the airports of Lyon, Turin and Milanese over a wide transnational region, which is highly metropolised in parts.
- Zürich and Milan Malpensa airports are the regional leaders in terms of size and scope but Geneva's passenger airline total is quite high for an airport of its size; there is a high degree of customer choice.
- The main airline at Geneva is easyJet, with Swiss taking on a secondary role compared with its presence at Zürich.
- The route network is highly focused on Europe. Geneva is notably weak on Asia Pacific routes, despite having one of the longest runways in Europe.
- Almost 44% of seats are on low cost airlines and 50% of capacity is on unaligned airlines. Neither of these statistics supports the view that Geneva is first and foremost a 'big business airport'.
- Notably, Business Class seating is the second highest in the peer group, but only half that at Zürich.
- A night curfew restricts operations but otherwise there is a strong equilibrium between departing and arriving flight demands.
- Passenger traffic growth is steady and improving.
- While Europe is the largest cargo market by region, the single busiest country for cargo is the UAE. While there are no dedicated cargo freighters operating, there are parcels carriers.
- A major construction project at Terminal 1 is in its mid-phase and it will enable larger aircraft to operate more easily. The prospect of a low cost terminal has now gone.
- While Geneva Airport is publicly owned it is set to be considered, as part of a consortium, as the owner/manager of Lyon Airport, a 'friendly rival' nearby in France.