- [Sam] A little behind the scenes today
inside Geneva Airport.
(upbeat rock music)
Are we going on time today?
- We will try.
- This one is the biggest pushback we have here in Geneva.
- It's so powerful with the Emirates 777 behind our tug.
It's a great terrace here.
That's all free of charge.
- [John] Two months ago, we welcomed Air Force One
alongside the Russian Federation version of Air Force One,
so, Ilyushin.
- [Sam] Look here, wow, fantastic.
That's Mont Blanc?
- Yeah. - Really?
- [Pierre] Yeah.
- [Sam] Oh, pretty lucky today,
we see the top.
- [Pierre] Yeah.
(mellow R&B music)
- [Sam] Driving me is David.
- Nice to meet you.
- [Sam] Nice to meet you.
A little behind the scenes today inside Geneva airport.
This is the biggest aeroplane,
every day come to Geneva on a regular basis,
Emirates 777 300.
We're going to follow the crew
on their final preparation before pushback and takeoff.
What are you preparing for the departure?
Now, we will complete the loading of the aircraft.
When all the doors will be closed,
we will connect the pushback tug.
We will pull up the jetties
when all the passengers will be boarding.
And after that, we pushback the aircraft.
I'm the supervisor of the aircraft.
We are six-guy on the ramp.
One, lot controller,
and four colleagues for the passenger boarding.
My colleague is going to disconnect
the rope forward on the aircraft.
Boarding is still running.
Loading will be completed in a few seconds.
- [Sam] Are we going on time today?
- We will try.
The aircraft was a little bit late
so we have a margin in order to go on time.
- This is so cool.
You can see the mirror image of the aeroplane
and the true aeroplane is right here.
- Now we're waiting for the last passenger to be board
in order to avoid any backward shifts
for a missing a passenger.
- I think this one is the biggest pushback
we have here in Geneva.
- [Sam] The biggest one?
- Yeah, the biggest one.
- Batista.
- Batista, Sam.
- Good.
(Batista speaking in French)
- [Batista] Let's go.
- [Sam] Let's go.
(aeroplane engine whirring)
- The camera.
- [Sam] The camera view, oh, the back view
of the tool bar behind.
What an amazing view.
Not every day you get to see this and do this.
Feels so powerful with the Emirates 777 300 behind our tug.
(aeroplane engine droning)
- Okay Sam, do you know that we have an observation deck
for plane spotters?
It's on the fourth floor.
So, the easiest way is actually to follow sign, Le Chef
and then, get into the elevator
and press the button, fourth floor.
- Here I am at the new spotting terrace at Geneva Airport.
To be honest, I was a little tired.
I was running out of juice but I think I just got here,
see all the aeroplanes and beautiful scenery,
blue sky, green grasses.
I think I got my sparkle back.
There's a great terrace here.
Best of all free of charge.
Anybody can come here.
10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, I believe.
- Well, Sam, what is really cool here
is that you actually can see two different countries.
So we're here in Switzerland
and on the other side of the runway and the airport,
really at the limit of the airport, you see France.
So, you see two countries in one day.
And, what is amazing to me here is just the landscape.
I mean, those mountains,
the sky changing all the time
and different time of the day makes it so special.
I just love to come here.
(aeroplane motor whirring)
- [John] There you go Sam,
the Diplomatic Express or LX 22, going off to New York.
This fight has been actually running all the way since 1947
linking both diplomatic capitals of the world,
Geneva and New York.
- I spent a whole three days at EBACE,
Business Aviation Show.
And then, I spent an hour at the terrace here.
I can tell you, Geneva Airport is quite a sharp contrast.
You can see light general aviation
and also the big AirBus and Boeing taxi behind.
And then, you can also see plenty
of Gulfstream, Bombardier and Dassault Falcon,
top business jets.
And, also we have lots of low cost airline like easyJet.
So John, what's your favourite movement here?
It must be a 747, Head of States or something like that.
- Ah, you know what?
We have so many movements here at the airport
but the one that really stands out for all of us here
was when a few months ago we welcomed Air Force One
alongside the Russian Federation version
of Air Force One, so Ilyushin.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- The local spotter must be sick of the easyJet
and the Swiss A220 but this is the highlight for me.
(aeroplane engine humming)
- I like the sound of a A220.
It's like an alien.
- [Sam] It's like he's like howling, crying in the start.
What's your favourite aeroplane you spotted here?
- 777 Emirates.
- Emirates.
(climactic orchestral music)
(aeroplane engine whirring)
- I'm with the President of the Geneva Airport.
We're going to fly a little GA
out of this airport for sightseeing.
Where are we going today, Pierre?
- [Pierre] We're going to see the Mont Blanc.
The Mont Blanc is the highest top
of the European Alps.
- Let's fly today.
- [Pierre] Yeah.
(aeroplane blades revving)
- The ground, hello, Delta, Echo, Victor,
Echo, Charlie, Lima, one, VFR to Annemasse,
outbound here, Echo, ready for taxi.
- [Ground] Hello Delta, Echo, Charlie, go for 4541,
taxi, left, (unintelligible) 1024.
- [Sam] We've got a sweet A220 landing easyJet.
Everyone, we are a little little plane
out of an international airport, fantastic.
- Delta, Echo, Charlie, (unintelligible).
- [Pierre] (unintelligible), Echo, Charlie, thank you.
(aeroplane engine revving)
(upbeat funk music)
- [Sam] Couldn't be a better day to fly over the lake.
Look at the fountain here, wow, fantastic.
I'm not climbing too steep on purpose
so you can have a better view, right?
- [Ground] Delta, Echo, Victor, Echo, Charlie, Geneva.
- [Pierre] Pierre 46 departing Geneva
via our flight to Annemasse.
we're now passing 4000 feet,
we'll now climb onto Mont Blanc at 11,000 initially
and we'll advise if we need higher later.
- [Ground] Delta, Echo, Charlie,
please climb below the TMA next to Mont Blanc.
- [Pierre] We'll climb below the Geneva Charlie TMA
and we will report Mont Blanc, Charlie, merci.
You can see in front of you at 11' O clock,
you have one of the biggest ski area
in the region of Geneva which is called Carte Valley.
Echo, Charlie, we'll climb to 13,000 feet
and we'll do a short tour of the Mont Blanc
and we'll continue back to Annemasse.
- [Sam] I think I can see the top of the Mont Blanc.
- [Pierre] You can see in front of us, yeah.
- [Sam] Yeah, exactly.
Just a little while up the near, I can see the peak.
- [Pierre] That's the peak.
- [Sam] Is that the peak?
- [Pierre] Yeah.
- That's Mont Blanc? - Yeah.
- Really? - Yeah.
- [Sam] Pretty lucky today, we see the top.
- [Pierre] Yeah, will be better this morning
but we shall be happy with what we have now.
It could have been worse surrounded by high-depth clouds.
And, right behind the Mont Blanc, you have Italy.
So, for a few seconds, you'll be in Italy.
We just need to be careful that we don't get too close
and we can continue on a climb
because you know otherwise, we'll be IMC.
What you want to do?
Make a right turn and continue over the French Alps
or you want to turn around the Mont Blanc?
- [Sam] I think we maybe turn around.
- [Pierre] Delta, Echo, Charlie,
we're leaving the Mont Blanc area toward Annemasse
and we are leaving as well 13,000 feet
and ascend down to 10,500.
- [Ground] Thank you,
you're proceeding direct to Annemasse
via the Lake of Annemasse?
- [Pierre] Yeah, we try that,
Echo, Charlie, we'll advise with the weather.
(mellow instrumental music)
That's the French Alps.
It is okay.
We have 19 knot coming down.
18 were the numbers.
You can see the runway is short and distinct.
(aeroplane engine whirring)
- [Pierre] It is not an easy runway to.
- [Sam] No, no, you did well.
(logo whooshing)