Geneva's airport opened in 1920 at Cointrin, on farmland just outside the city, starting out small as a grass field with a single wooden shed. It was one of Europe's earliest civil airports, and the presence of the League of Nations made it important almost right away. Workers laid a proper concrete runway there during the Second World War, replacing the old grass strip for good.
Because the airport sits right on the national border, France and Switzerland signed a 1956 deal creating a French sector. This customs area lets passengers travel to and from France without ever entering Switzerland, reached by its own special road. The airport grew as the United Nations, the Red Cross, and a large finance sector filled the city, and later as the Alps became a mass market ski destination.
Swissair's sudden collapse in 2001 and the arrival of easyJet changed the mix of passengers completely. The budget airline now carries a large share of all of Geneva's yearly traffic. A brand new terminal wing built just for large widebody jets opened in 2021. Winter Saturdays still bring a famous, predictable rush of ski charter flights and rows of parked private business jets.