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Dangerous airport in Courchevel, France From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Courchevel Altiport (French: Altiport de Courchevel) (IATA: CVF, ICAO: LFLJ) is an altiport serving Courchevel, a ski resort in the French Alps. The airfield has a very short runway of only 537 metres (1,762 ft) with a gradient of 18.6%.[1] There is no go-around procedure for landings at Courchevel due to the surrounding mountainous terrain. The airfield primarily sees use by smaller fixed-wing aircraft such as the Cessna 208 Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, as well as helicopters. The runway has no instrument approach procedure or lighting aids, making landing in fog or low clouds unsafe and almost impossible.[1]
Courchevel Altiport Altiport de Courchevel | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Serves | Courchevel | ||||||||||
Location | Courchevel | ||||||||||
Opened | 1962 | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 2,008 m / 6,588 ft | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 45°23′51″N 06°38′04″E | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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The airport is considered dangerous, as it features a difficult approach, an upward-sloping runway and ski runs in the adjacent area. The History Channel program Most Extreme Airports ranks it as the seventh most extreme airport in the world.[3]
Courchevel Altiport was the brainchild of Michel Ziegler in the early 1960s. By 1961 plans were in place, and upon opening Courchevel Altiport was the first mountain airport of its type. Michel, along with his wife Martine, owned Les Pilatus - a restaurant next to the runway. This facility still exists today as a restaurant and accommodation for skiers in the region.[4][5]
In the early 1970s, Air Alpes operated scheduled flights between Paris Orly and Courchevel utilizing de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter STOL-capable turboprop aircraft during the ski season. In case of bad weather, the aircraft landed in Chambery and the passengers were bused to Courchevel. Air Alpes had an office and desk in the Les Pilatus restaurant, which was later absorbed into the dining facility. In the 1980s, Tyrolean Airways served Courchevel with Dash-7 STOL-capable turboprop aircraft capable of carrying 54 passengers.[6][better source needed] More recently, other de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters and DHC-7 Dash 7 turboprops have served the airport. Since 2014, Alpine Airlines is currently the only company worldwide to offer commercial flights to Courchevel Altiport.[7]
As of 2024, the facilities at the altiport for aircraft include a 10 space hangar, a single fire truck, a tractor for aircraft towing and a refuelling station. Customers and pilots can make use of two small chalets by the runway.[8]
The altiport has been used as the finish line of Tour de France stages on numerous occasions, given its steep gradient and location close to the ski resort of Courchevel.[20]
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