A major fire late on Friday afternoon sent thick black smoke across the airport runway, disrupting flights and closing local roads. There were also a series of explosions as gas cannisters ignited.
The roof of the new federal asylum centre being built near Geneva airport caught fire while under construction at about 5pm.
Around 11 flights had to be cancelled, several more were delayed. The wind was blowing smoke right into the direction of incoming flights – and the risk of an explosion was too great to allow planes to approach the runway.
It wasn’t until 7.30 – 2 and a half hours after the start of the fire – when planes were allowed to fully move again.
It was a busy afternoon for the airport – a Friday evening meant many were heading out. Around 40,000 passengers were stuck.
It’s not yet known what caused the fire and there were no injuries.
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