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Courchevel Altiport

Coordinates: 45°23′51″N 06°38′04″E / 45.39750°N 6.63444°E / 45.39750; 6.63444
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Courchevel Altiport

Altiport de Courchevel
Summary
Airport typePublic
ServesCourchevel
LocationCourchevel
Opened1962; 62 years ago (1962)
Elevation AMSL2,008 m / 6,588 ft
Coordinates45°23′51″N 06°38′04″E / 45.39750°N 6.63444°E / 45.39750; 6.63444
Map
CVF/LFLJ is located in Savoie
CVF/LFLJ
CVF/LFLJ
Location in Savoie
CVF/LFLJ is located in France
CVF/LFLJ
CVF/LFLJ
CVF/LFLJ (France)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
04/22 537 1,762 Asphalt

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]

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]

History

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Courchevel Altiport

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]

Facilities

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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]

Incidents and accidents

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  • On 3 January 2003 a Cessna 172 that departed the altiport was forced to make an emergency landing in a field, after the aircraft was forced to divert to Albertville due to reduced throttle noted on takeoff from the Altiport. The original destination for the aircraft was Cuers.[9]
  • On 14 April 2016 a Piper PA-34 N1010FM stalled during landing flare, leading to a hard landing which ruptured the left main landing gear. The aircraft left the runway. There were no fatalities.[10]
  • On 1 July 2016 a Eurocopter EC120 Colibri F-GVTA lost control on final approach at 10m. The helicopter struck the ground and landed on its right side, causing a total loss of the aircraft.[11]
  • On 25 February 2017, a EAPC Pilatus PC-12 OO-PCI crashed on landing, following the pilot flying carrying out the final 5% lower than the guide slope.[12]
  • On 8 February 2019, Bluewings Piper PA-46 F-GUYZ crashed into a wall of snow after the pilot throttled back too late on landing. There were two minor injuries recorded.[13][14]
  • On 13 July 2019, a Cessna P210 N732RS crashed due to landing before the runway threshold.[15]
  • On 6 August 2021, a Piper PA-46 F-HYGA crashed after striking an embankment above the runway threshold which tore the aircraft's undercarriage. The aircraft continued along the runway for a further 100 meters, before coming to a halt and catching fire. There was one fatality.[16][17]
  • On 16 June 2022, a privately owned and operated Diamond DA42 F-HIMY crashed into an embankment.[18]
  • On 17 February 2024, a EAPC Pilatus PC-12 OO-PCN crashed on landing, with the aircraft overrunning onto a snow covered embankment and a wing being torn off. There were two crew members onboard, and no fatalities.[19]

Tour de France

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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]

Year Stage Start Finish Stage length
1997 14 Le Bourg-d'Oisans Courchevel 148.0 km (92.0 mi)
2000 15 Briançon Courchevel 173.5 km (107.8 mi)
2005 10 Grenoble Courchevel 177.0 km (110.0 mi)
2023 17 Saint-Gervais-les-Bains Courchevel 166 km (103 mi)

Statistics

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Annual passenger traffic at CVF airport. See Wikidata query.

References

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  1. ^ a b c SIA AIP Archived 2020-01-02 at the Wayback Machine PDF (in French)
  2. ^ "Un altiport dynamique toute l'année" (PDF). mairie-courchevel.com. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  3. ^ Most Extreme Airports, History Channel, October 14, 2010
  4. ^ "the history of Courchevel" (PDF). france.fr. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Primarily". lepilatus.com. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  6. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Tyrolean Dash 7 landing at Courchevel". YouTube.
  7. ^ "Alpine Airlines - Airline ' Courchevel Paris Tropez". Alpine Airlines. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  8. ^ "EQUIPEMENTS" (in French). Courchevel Altiport. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  9. ^ "The pilot takes off from the Courchevel altiport (altitude: 6,580 feet) for a flight to..." BEA. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Accident to the Piper PA34 registered N101FM on 04/14/16 at Courchevel (73)". BEA. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Accident to the helicopter EC120 registered F-GVTA on 01/07/2016 at Courchevel (73)". BEA. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Accident to the Pilatus PC-12 registered OO-PCI operated by European Aircraft Private Club on 25/02/2017 at Courchevel (Savoie)". BEA. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Accident to the Piper - PA-46 - 350P registered F-GUYZ on 08/02/2019 at Courchevel (Savoie)". BEA. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  14. ^ "PA-46 accident passengers wrongly believed they were flying with airline". flightglobal.com. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Accident to the Cessna P210 registered N732RS on 13/07/2019 at Courchevel". BEA. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  16. ^ "BEA". Accident to the Piper PA46 registered F-HYGA on 06/08/2021 at Courchevel. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Crash d'aéroplane à l'altiport de Courchevel : un mortt" (in French). Le Dauphine. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Accident to the Diamond DA42 registered F-HIMY on 16/06/2022 at Courchevel". BEA. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Belgian Pilatus PC-12 skids off runway at Courchevel Altiport: pilots slightly injured after loss of wing". aviation24.be. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  20. ^ "Tour de France 2023 : Arrivée à l'altiport de Courchevel ! - Mairie de Courchevel". altiport.mairie-courchevel.com (in French). Retrieved 2023-07-20.
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