London City to Geneva

This is a banker’s route. London and Geneva are two of Europe’s financial centres, and the traffic between them is dominated by day-return meetings: private banking, commodities, fund boards. In winter the same leg doubles as the quickest way into the Alps, with Geneva serving the French and Swiss resorts.

We arrange it from London City because of where the airport is: in the Docklands, ten kilometres from the Square Mile and a short drive from Canary Wharf. Against a morning start from an airport west or south of London, City can return an hour or more of the working day. Block time to Geneva is about an hour and twenty minutes; we book handling, ground transport and, in season, the onward leg to the resorts.

The aircraft choice here is made by the runway. London City requires a 5.5-degree steep approach, against a conventional three, and approval is granted per operator-and-aircraft pairing, not just per type. The PC-24, Citation CJ3+ and Phenom 300E are all on the airport’s approved register; we source them from operators who hold City approval. The short runway and small ramp also mean aircraft often drop passengers and reposition out to Biggin Hill, which is priced into the quote rather than discovered after it.

City’s hours are the other constraint. The airport keeps strict operating hours and closes from Saturday afternoon until Sunday morning. For a Saturday-evening return from Geneva, or a very early start, we route via Farnborough or Biggin Hill instead and tell you plainly which door-to-door works out faster for your address.

The route runs year-round and 24 to 48 hours’ notice is normally enough. For Friday evenings in the ski season, and for City’s more sought-after morning departure times, a few days ahead gives better choice.