Courchevel Altiport Explained

Courchevel Altiport
Nativename:	French: Altiport de Courchevel
Iata:	CVF
Icao:	LFLJ
Type:	Public
City-Served:	Courchevel
Location:	Courchevel
Elevation-M:	2008
Pushpin Map:	France Savoie#France
Pushpin Label:	CVF/LFLJ
Pushpin Map Caption:	Location in Savoie
Metric-Elev:	y
Metric-Rwy:	y
R1-Number:	04/22
R1-Length-M:	537
R1-Surface:	Asphalt
Footnotes:	^[1]

Courchevel Altiport (French: Altiport de Courchevel) is an altiport serving Courchevel, a ski resort in the French Alps. The airfield has a very short runway of only 537m (1,762feet) with a gradient of 18.6%.^[2] 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.

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]

It has featured in films including the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.

History

thumb|right|Courchevel AltiportCourchevel 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] 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

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

• 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

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	148km (92miles)
2000	15	Briançon	Courchevel	173.5km (107.8miles)
2005	10	Grenoble	Courchevel	177km (110miles)
2023	17	Saint-Gervais-les-Bains	Courchevel	166km (103miles)

External links

• Photo of DHC-7 on runway
• Airport information

Notes and References

1. Web site: Un altiport dynamique toute l'année . mairie-courchevel.com . 24 April 2021.
2. https://www.sia.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/dvd/eAIP_02_JAN_2020/Atlas-VAC/PDF_AIPparSSection/VAC/AD/AD-2.LFLJ.pdf SIA AIP
3. Most Extreme Airports, History Channel, October 14, 2010
4. Web site: the history of Courchevel. france.fr. 26 February 2024.
5. Web site: Primarily. lepilatus.com. 26 February 2024.
6. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Web site: Tyrolean Dash 7 landing at Courchevel . YouTube.
7. Web site: Alpine Airlines - Airline ' Courchevel Paris Tropez. Alpine Airlines. en-US. 2020-01-02.
8. Web site: EQUIPEMENTS. Courchevel Altiport. FR. 26 February 2024.
9. Web site: The pilot takes off from the Courchevel altiport (altitude: 6,580 feet) for a flight to.... BEA. 2 March 2024.
10. Web site: Accident to the Piper PA34 registered N101FM on 04/14/16 at Courchevel (73). BEA. 2 March 2024.
11. Web site: Accident to the helicopter EC120 registered F-GVTA on 01/07/2016 at Courchevel (73). BEA. 2 March 2024.
12. Web site: Accident to the Pilatus PC-12 registered OO-PCI operated by European Aircraft Private Club on 25/02/2017 at Courchevel (Savoie). BEA. 25 February 2024.
13. Web site: Accident to the Piper - PA-46 - 350P registered F-GUYZ on 08/02/2019 at Courchevel (Savoie). BEA. 25 February 2024.
14. Web site: PA-46 accident passengers wrongly believed they were flying with airline. flightglobal.com. 25 February 2024.
15. Web site: Accident to the Cessna P210 registered N732RS on 13/07/2019 at Courchevel. BEA. 25 February 2024.
16. Web site: BEA. Accident to the Piper PA46 registered F-HYGA on 06/08/2021 at Courchevel. 25 February 2024.
17. Web site: Crash d’aéroplane à l’altiport de Courchevel : un mortt. Le Dauphine. FR. 25 February 2024.
18. Web site: Accident to the Diamond DA42 registered F-HIMY on 16/06/2022 at Courchevel. BEA. 25 February 2024.
19. Web site: Belgian Pilatus PC-12 skids off runway at Courchevel Altiport: pilots slightly injured after loss of wing. aviation24.be. 25 February 2024.
20. Web site: Tour de France 2023 : Arrivée à l'altiport de Courchevel ! - Mairie de Courchevel . 2023-07-20 . altiport.mairie-courchevel.com . fr.