Air traffic, which was temporarily suspended this afternoon in Geneva due to a large fire that broke out at a construction site near the airport, is expected to be restored later today, an airport spokesman told AFP.
“We have a forecast for the reopening of the runways, now that the fire is under control,” said Ignas Zanera. “The area still needs to be secured and the debris removed,” he added.
The large fire broke out late in the afternoon at the construction site of the future buildings of the international police and the federal center for asylum seekers, according to a journalist of the French Agency.
The fire “is outside the perimeter of the airport and very strong smoke is coming out of the spot,” the spokesman said.
Due to the intense annoyance caused by the fire, the airport decided to suspend landings and take-offs. Part of the traffic to Lyon and Basel was diverted, Zannera said.
At the time of the fire, a huge cloud of black smoke was visible from various parts of the city.
A video of a reader posted on the 20minutes.ch website shows thick black smoke billowing from the top of the building as firefighting operations are underway in the Geneva countryside.
Then a loud explosion is seen and heard, which increases the intensity of the fire, while a plane lands, not far from the spot.
An AFP reporter noted that around 19.30 Greek time there were no visible flames or smoke. Firefighters continued to pour water into the building, which is surrounded by scaffolding and tarpaulins.
Geneva Airport was founded in 1920 and is today the second busiest airport in Switzerland, after Zurich Airport.
In 2021, it had received more than 5.9 million passengers, 67% less than in 2019 (almost 18 million then) due to the pandemic that hit air transport hard.
In contrast, the number of passengers was slightly higher in 2020 and total landings and take-offs increased by 14.9%.
In the field of business aviation, aircraft traffic increased by 2.8% in 2021 compared to the pre-crisis era (2019).
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
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