On Tuesday, a group of activists consisting of several dozen people broke and entered three different locations on the tarmac at 11.35am. Despite the immediate intervention of security and police officers, they managed to infiltrate the exhibition area of EBACE 2023 - the major business aviation event - and handcuff or chain themselves to the aircraft on display.
In these operations, ARFF firefighters treated four people, activists and Securitas, who were either unwell or injured.
The activists were taken to Terminal T2 for identity checks by the police.
During this evacuation operation, air traffic was completely suspended at Genève Aéroport from 11.40am to 12.40pm. The first take-off occurred at 12.44 and the first landing at 12.45. Seven flights diverted to Zurich and Lyon airports.
Significant delays are expected for the rest of the operations until the end of the evening with possible waivers to allow the last flights to reach Geneva in the evening. Some flight cancellations are not excluded.
Following this incursion, Genève Aéroport will file a complaint, as also announced by the EBACE organisers and several exhibitors on the tarmac.