Aircraft Detailing at Geneva (LSGG)

What changes at Geneva?

Geneva sits at 1,411 feet, four kilometres from the city centre, with a single 3,900-metre runway serving scheduled, cargo and business aviation traffic in parallel. The airport permits take-offs from 06:00 to midnight local, but since January 2025 departures after 22:00 face penalties and are restricted to a maximum of three intercontinental flights; in practice, business aviation turnarounds compress into the window before 22:00. Slot coordination is mandatory for all movements, and GA/BA aircraft cannot request slots directly—your handler submits the PPR and slot application together.

Three handling agents operate from the business aviation terminal on the south-west apron: Signature Aviation, Jet Aviation Geneva and Dassault Aviation Business Services, all located along Chemin des Papillons. FBO staffing runs 06:00 to 22:00 local; work outside those hours requires call-out, so evening detailing must be arranged in advance through your handler. Airside contractor access goes through the FBO, and 24-hour security surveillance covers the ramp.

Alpine weather—freeze-thaw cycles in winter, intense ultraviolet in summer, sudden temperature drops after sunset—accelerates paint oxidation and cabin material fatigue. Cold-soaked airframes arriving in the evening condense moisture across the belly and gear bays within minutes of engine shutdown. We carry dehumidifying blowers, and every exterior service includes a nacelle and belly inspection before we sign off in the tech log.

How do you fit detailing into a Geneva turnaround?

Most business jets arrive mid-morning or early afternoon, depart the same evening or next morning, and face a slot window that closes at 22:00 for practical purposes. If you land at 14:00 and depart at 20:00, six hours sounds comfortable—but subtract handler paperwork, passenger disembarkation, catering, fuel uplift and slot buffer, and the window for a complete detail shrinks to three or four hours. We begin as soon as the GPU is connected and the apron is clear.

A quick turn takes forty-five minutes: cabin reset, galley wipe-down, lavatory service, window cleaning and a waterless exterior pass across the fuselage, wings and tail. If you need a full interior detail or a dry wash with decontamination, we ask for four hours on stand and confirm the sequence with your handler the day before. Brightwork polish adds another hour; ceramic coating requires the aircraft to remain overnight, ideally in a hangar slot arranged through the FBO.

For positioning aircraft or fleet programs, we schedule work during the day when FBO staff are present and the apron is active. Evening call-outs are possible but must be requested at least 24 hours ahead so the handler can arrange airside escort and GPU availability.

What does the handler expect from a detailing crew at Geneva?

Every contractor working airside must hold a valid escort or individual airside pass, carry third-party liability insurance recognised in Switzerland, and check in at the FBO desk before crossing the apron. The handler will ask for your arrival time, vehicle registration, crew names and mobile number; if you arrive unannounced, expect delay while security clears you.

Handlers expect the detailing crew to bring its own equipment—trolleys, ladders, power supply if mains is unavailable—and to leave the stand exactly as it was found. Any fluid spill, even rinse water, must be reported immediately; Geneva enforces strict environmental rules, and unreported spills can delay the next departure. We carry absorbent mats and spill kits as standard.

Communication runs through the handler, not directly with the flight crew, unless the captain has asked to be copied. When the work is finished, we hand the completed photo report and tech-log sticker to the handler's duty manager, who files it with the aircraft documents. If a defect is noted—a cracked lens, a loose fastener, corrosion under a belly panel—we photograph it, mark it in the report and notify the handler so the pilot is briefed before departure.

Why does Geneva's climate matter for paint and cabin?

Geneva's position at the foot of the Alps means rapid temperature swings, high ultraviolet exposure in summer and freeze-thaw cycling from November through March. Paint that looks glossy in the hangar can show micro-oxidation and embedded particulate within weeks of regular alpine operations. Bare-metal brightwork tarnishes faster here than at sea-level airports farther west.

Cold-soaked aircraft arriving after sunset condense moisture across the belly, nacelles and gear bays; if the aircraft departs again within two hours, that moisture can freeze aloft and return as ice debris on the next approach. We inspect and dry these areas during every exterior service, using blowers and absorbent cloths to remove standing water before it migrates into seams or drain ports.

Inside the cabin, low humidity at altitude and dry alpine air on the ground accelerate leather desiccation and veneer checking. A full interior detail includes conditioning all leather surfaces with pH-neutral emulsion and inspecting veneer edges for separation. If the aircraft operates a regular Geneva rotation, we recommend quarterly deep-cleans and a ceramic cabin protectant applied annually to reduce UV fade on sidewalls and seats near the windows.

What's included in the photo report and documentation?

Every service closes with a digital photo report delivered by email within two hours of completion. The report includes time-stamped images of the aircraft before work begins, detail shots of each area treated—leading edges, nacelles, belly, gear bays, cabin zones—and final walk-around photographs showing the completed result. If we note a defect, it appears in the report with a close-up and a written description.

A tech-log sticker summarising the work performed, products used and the technician's name is handed to the handler for insertion into the aircraft technical log. If your operation requires a formal work order or invoice reference in the log, tell us when you book; we'll include it on the sticker. For fleet programs, we maintain a digital service history so you can track appearance intervals across the year and plan the next detail around operational gaps.

The report is not a cosmetic sales document—it is an operational record. If the captain or your maintenance controller needs to know that a belly panel was stained, that a static port was masked and checked, or that a galley drain was flushed and cleared, the report provides that evidence. Handlers appreciate the clarity because it reduces post-departure questions.

Which services make sense for a Geneva-based fleet?

If your aircraft is based at Geneva or operates a weekly rotation through the airport, a fleet care programme spreads appearance work across the year and avoids last-minute scrambles before an owner trip. A typical twelve-month plan includes a quick turn after every flight, a full interior detail monthly, exterior wash and single-stage polish quarterly, and brightwork restoration twice a year. Ceramic coating applied in spring extends the interval between washes and reduces the labour required to maintain gloss through summer operations.

For transient aircraft, the most requested combination is a dry wash on arrival, a full interior detail while the aircraft is on stand, and a cabin disinfection before passenger boarding. If you're positioning overnight, we can add brightwork polish and a paint decontamination pass; if the aircraft remains for 48 hours and hangar space is available through your FBO, a complete detail with ceramic top-coat is feasible.

Operators running intercontinental legs from Geneva often request a complete detail every 100 flight hours or every six weeks, whichever comes first, because the combination of high-altitude cruise, alpine ground conditions and client expectations makes appearance degradation visible faster than at lower, temperate airports.