Sion Airport Explained

Sion Airport
Nativename:Aéroport de Sion
Image2-Width:250
Iata:SIR
Icao:LSGS / LSMS
City-Served:Sion, Switzerland
Elevation-F:1,585
Elevation-M:483
Metric-Elev:483
Coordinates:46.2196°N 7.3268°W
Pushpin Map:Switzerland
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of airport in Switzerland
Pushpin Label:SIR
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
R1-Number:07R/25L
R1-Length-F:6,562
R1-Length-M:2,000
R1-Surface:Asphalt
R2-Number:07L/25R
R2-Length-F:1,820
R2-Length-M:555
R2-Surface:Grass
Stat-Year:2022
Stat1-Header:Total passengers
Stat1-Data:35,929
Stat2-Header:Aircraft operations
Stat2-Data:43,586
Footnotes:Source: Statistics from Sion Airport.[1]

Sion Airport (Military: LSMS) is the airport of the city of Sion, Switzerland[2] and is located 2.5 km southwest of Sion city in the Rhone Valley.[3] The airport opened in 1935.[4]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate seasonal and seasonal charter flights at Sion Airport:[5]

The nearest larger international airport is Geneva Airport, approx. 110km (70miles) to the west, while the smaller Bern Airport is equidistant to the north.

Statistics

25,992 passengers were travelling through Sion Airport in the year 2019.[6]

Military usage

The Swiss Air Force uses Sion as one of their four jetfighter air bases, the others being Payerne, Meiringen and Emmen. It is known as Flugplatzkommando 14 Sion. In addition to the prop-types Pilatus PC-6, Pilatus PC-7, Pilatus PC-9 and Pilatus PC-21 as well as helicopters, it uses Sion intensively with the fighter jets F/A-18 and F-5 Tiger. It is the home base of the militia pilot unit Fliegerstaffel 19 Swans with F-5E. Sion Airport is, at both ends of the runway, equipped with retractable arresting gear devices (used by the F/A-18 and in case of a problem by the F-5).

Due to the redimension of the Swiss Air Force, it was planned that the Air Force would leave Sion after 2017 and Sion would be used by civil aviation only, acting only as alternate airfield for the Air Force.[7]

See also

References

Notes

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kennzahlen und Karte . Key figures and map . de-ch . 2023-02-07 . Sion Flughafen . sionaeroport.ch.
  2. http://airlines.priceline.com/airlines/sion-airport.html Priceline
  3. http://www.piste25.ch/?pageid=situ&lang=eng Piste25
  4. Web site: About Us. 5 May 2021. Sion Aeroport.
  5. Web site: Flights .
  6. Web site: Figures and Maps. Sion Aeroport. 5 May 2021.
  7. Web site: "L'aviation militaire à Sion après 2017? Pas exclu". Martino. Mirko. 20Minuten. 17 September 2015. 5 May 2021. fr.