Full Interior Detail at Geneva (LSGG)

What changes at Geneva for a full interior detail?

Geneva sits at 1411 feet with a single 3900-metre runway and a business aviation terminal on the south-west apron, four kilometres from the city centre. Handling agents present at the airport staff the FBOs from 06:00 to 22:00 local; work outside those hours requires advance call-out. All movements need mandatory PPR arranged through your handler, and since January 2025 take-offs after 22:00 carry a penalty even though the airport legally permits departures until midnight. That compresses late-evening turnarounds into a narrow window before the 22:00 threshold.

For a full interior detail the timing matters. If the aircraft lands at 19:00 and departs at 08:00 the next morning, we have the night; if it lands at 15:00 with a 21:30 departure the same evening, the cabin work competes with catering, fuelling and any tech-log squawks. Airside access for contractors goes through the FBO and security surveillance runs around the clock, so the handler expects a single point of contact and a predictable finish time. Slot coordination means your departure window is fixed; we plan backward from that slot to guarantee the cabin is ready and the aircraft is released on time.

How long does a full interior detail take at Geneva?

Duration runs from four hours in a light cabin—eight seats, single lavatory, small galley—to ten hours in an ultra-long-range layout with sixteen seats, two lavatories, a full galley and complex veneer. A super-midsize cabin with ten seats and one lavatory usually takes six hours. We quote the window when you send the registration and interior photos; if the aircraft is part of a fleet program and we already have the cabin map, the estimate is immediate.

The clock starts when the handler clears us onto the stand and ends when the cabin is dry, conditioned and the tech log is signed. Leather conditioning needs dwell time; carpet extraction needs drying time. If the turnaround is tight we can split the work—cabin and galley on the first overnight, flight deck and lavatory on the second—but that only makes sense for aircraft that stay at Geneva between legs, not for single overnights. Cold-soaked cabins in winter add thirty minutes because we wait for surfaces to reach working temperature before applying conditioner.

What does the handler expect when we bring a third-party crew onto the apron?

The handler expects a named crew list twenty-four hours before the aircraft lands, each person with passport number and airside-training certificates if the airport requires them. We send that list once you confirm the detail; the handler forwards it to airport security and issues temporary airside passes at the FBO. On the day, our team checks in at the FBO desk, collects the passes and meets the handler on the apron. The handler shows us the GPU and potable-water source if we need cabin power and water for extraction, then leaves us to the work.

Handlers also expect a finish time. If we say six hours and the aircraft is due to depart at 08:00, the cabin must be ready by 07:30 so the handler can complete the walk-around and the pilots can board without waiting. If a stain takes longer than expected or a veneer panel needs a second pass, we tell the handler immediately; they tell the flight-ops desk, and the desk decides whether to hold the slot or split the work. That communication loop is why we always work through the handler, never directly with airport operations.

Recurring work versus one-off details at Geneva

Operators who base an aircraft at Geneva or fly a weekly rotation—Zurich inbound Monday, Geneva overnight, Paris outbound Tuesday—usually put the interior on a monthly cycle: full detail every four weeks, dry wash and cabin tidy on the other overnights. That keeps the leather conditioned, the carpets clean and the galley seals free of residue without eating into every turnaround. We store the cabin spec, the handler knows the routine and the crew list stays valid for three months, so each detail is a phone call and a confirmation, not a new procurement process.

One-off work happens before delivery flights, after a charter block when the cabin has seen heavy use, or when an aircraft diverts into Geneva and the operator wants the interior brought up before the next leg. One-offs take longer to arrange—we need the interior photos, the handler's contact, the PPR confirmation and a payment method—but the work itself is identical. If the diversion is AOG and the cabin needs cleaning while the aircraft waits for a part, we can usually start within four hours of the call, provided the FBO is open and the handler clears us onto the stand.

What do you clean in a full interior detail?

We start with the leather: every seat, divan, armrest and headrest is cleaned with a pH-neutral product, then conditioned to restore flexibility and sheen. Aniline and semi-aniline leathers get a different conditioner than pigmented hides; if the cabin spec lists the tannery we match the product to the finish, otherwise we test on an inconspicuous seam. Carpets and fabric upholstery are extracted with hot water and a low-residue detergent, then stain-treated if needed. We vacuum the extraction water until the carpet is damp, not wet, and leave it to dry with cabin airflow or a portable blower if the turnaround is tight.

Veneer, metal and plastic trim are polished to remove fingerprints, dust and any residue from previous cleaning. The galley is stripped: we pull the drawers, clean the seals, flush the drains and wipe down the coffee-maker and any stowed glassware. The lavatory gets the same treatment—seals, drains, mirrors, fixtures—and we check that the flush valve and the soap dispenser are working. The flight deck is wiped down with no-touch procedures around the avionics: we clean the yokes, the throttles, the seat leather and the side consoles, but we never spray anything near a screen or a switch. If you want cabin disinfection we fog the interior after the detail is finished; that adds thirty minutes and requires the aircraft to sit with doors closed for the dwell time.

How do we arrange a full interior detail at Geneva?

Send the registration, the arrival and departure times, and a photo of the cabin if this is the first time we have seen the aircraft. We quote the duration and the price, you confirm, and we send the crew list to your handler. If you do not have a handler yet, we can suggest the ones present at the airport, but you contract with them directly; we are not a handling agent. Once the handler issues the PPR and confirms the stand, we schedule the detail to finish ninety minutes before your departure slot.

For recurring work we set up a standing order: every fourth overnight, or every Monday arrival, or whenever the aircraft is at Geneva for more than twelve hours. You tell us the rotation, we put it in the calendar and send a confirmation email a week before each detail. If a flight cancels or the schedule changes, a phone call or an email is enough to move the booking. Payment is by invoice after the work, due in thirty days, or by card on the day if this is a one-off and you prefer to close the loop immediately.