Courchevel and the altiports of the Alps: landing uphill

A helicopter sets down on the meadow next to the tower, skiers glide past the runway, and then a Pilatus PC-12 appears over the valley. It flies straight toward the slope, touches down and rolls uphill with plenty of power until it comes to a stop on the flat platform at the top. Plane spotting at Courchevel Altiport is something completely different from an afternoon at the airport fence: few movements, an extremely short and steep runway, high mountains all around. This guide explains how an altiport works, where you are officially allowed to stand as a spotter and which other mountain airfields exist in the French Alps.

What is an altiport?

An altiport is an airfield in the high mountains with a short, sloping runway. The principle is always the same: aircraft land uphill and take off downhill, largely regardless of the wind. The slope slows the landing aircraft over a short distance, and on takeoff the downgrade helps with acceleration. So a few hundred meters of asphalt are enough for aircraft that would need a much longer runway on level ground.

The price for that: a go-around is no longer possible shortly before touchdown, because the runway leads into the slope. From a certain point on final approach, the landing is committed. In France, where most of the Alps’ altiports are located, a pilot may therefore only land there with a mountain flying qualification (qualification montagne for wheels or skis) or a site briefing for the airfield in question. The term “altiport” itself comes from Savoie: it arose in the early 1960s, when the first runways near Méribel and Courchevel were built.

Courchevel Altiport at a glance

Since 2023, Courchevel Altiport has officially carried the name of its founder Michel Ziegler and lies at the very top edge of Courchevel 1850 in Savoie. The codes are LFLJ (ICAO) and CVF (IATA). The operator is the municipality of Courchevel, which runs the runway with a flight information service (AFIS) and its own airport fire service.

Feature	Details
Elevation	around 2,000 m (operator: 2,007 m)
Runway	04/22, asphalt
Length × width	537 m × 40 m
Slope	up to 18.5% (other sources: 18.6%)
Operations	daytime only, no night flights
Opening	year-round, cleared continuously in winter

The slope is not distributed evenly. According to published runway profiles, the runway begins with a moderately steep section, followed by the steepest part at just under 19 percent. At the top it flattens into an almost level area. There the aircraft turn and taxi to the parking positions. For you as a spotter that means: after touchdown the aircraft visibly “climbs” the slope, and exactly this scene makes the photos so unusual.

There is no instrument approach and no runway lighting. In fog or low-hanging clouds, a landing is practically ruled out. According to the operator, Courchevel is the highest altiport in Europe and the only one that can be reached on wheels all winter, because the runway has been cleared constantly since the early 1970s.

Rules for flight operations

The municipality has published some special rules that matter for your planning too:

• No night flights. The airfield is generally open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, rescue flights excepted.
• Lunch break for traffic patterns. Between 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., traffic patterns are prohibited.
• Limited practice flights. Visiting aircraft may fly at most two traffic patterns per day without special permission.

So the most is going on in the morning and afternoon, and it gets quieter around midday.

History: from glacier flights to helicopter hub

The idea behind altiports was to open up remote ski resorts by air and to fly skiers onto glaciers. The driving force was Michel Ziegler and his team. On January 31, 1962, the first aircraft landed at Courchevel, one day after the first approach to the neighboring Méribel altiport.

Year	Event
1961	The municipal council decides to build a landing strip above Courchevel.
1962	First landing on January 31. In the following years, the regional company Air Alpes connects the altiport with Geneva, Lyon and Chambéry.
1972	On January 22, the Paris–Courchevel service starts. From the mid-1970s, Twin Otters bring guests daily from Paris or Geneva.
1981	TAT takes over Air Alpes and ends the regular service.
1985	Glacier landings with skiers are banned in France, and traffic collapses.
1989–1992	In the run-up to the Olympic Games in Albertville, the runway is extended and realigned so that the four-engine Dash 7 can land.
since the 1990s	Private aircraft and taxi helicopters shape the traffic.

In the early years, small short-takeoff aircraft flew passengers and set skiers down on glaciers. Later the DHC-6 Twin Otter and the Dash 7 were added, both short-takeoff aircraft from De Havilland Canada. The runway was originally only 375 meters long; only in the run-up to the 1992 Olympic Games was it brought to its current length and widened. In bad weather, Air Alpes flights used to have to divert to Chambéry, with guests continuing by bus.

The altiport also became known through the movies: in the Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies” (1997), it served as the setting for an arms market. In the opening sequence, James Bond escapes in a captured jet over the steep runway.

What you get to see at Courchevel

According to the operator, the altiport records around 6,500 movements in winter, and about 70 percent of them are helicopters. That makes Courchevel one of the most interesting helicopter spots in the Alps. In season, helicopter taxis shuttle between the valley airports and the ski resort. How to tell the different types apart is explained in the guide Identifying helicopter types. General tips for photography can be found under Spotting helicopters.

Among fixed-wing aircraft, small, rugged types land at Courchevel. Typical are the Pilatus PC-12 from the Swiss manufacturer Pilatus and the Cessna 208 Caravan. Joining them are single-engine private aircraft, light twins and aircraft of the local flight school. Classic business jets such as the Citation or Challenger are not found here, because the runway is too short for jets. They land down in the valley or in Geneva. More on this in the article Spotting business jets.

Many of the aircraft carry French F- registrations, but since the site is easy to reach from Switzerland and other neighboring countries, it is worth a look at every registration. How Swiss registrations are structured is covered in the article on HB registrations.

Where you are allowed to stand as a spotter

Courchevel is one of the few airfields where the municipality has expressly regulated spotting. The occasion was a request from several helicopter spotter groups in January 2018. Since then, a municipal decree of January 17, 2018 has applied: from December 1 to April 30, the activity of aviation photographers is allowed only in three designated zones. The background is safety, quiet and the privacy of guests arriving at the altiport.

The municipality publishes a map of the zones on the altiport’s website in the regulations section. Check there before your trip to see whether the rule still applies as stated. Outside the winter season, the decree prescribes no zones. Even so, respect barriers, staff instructions and passengers’ privacy. The general legal situation in France is summarized in the article Photographing at French airports.

Drones stay in the backpack

Helicopters fly low and often here, and rescue flights add to that. A drone has no business near the altiport. What applies to drones in France and elsewhere in the EU is explained in the article Taking your drone on vacation.

Light, weather and photo tips

Runway 04/22 runs roughly from northeast to southwest. Where the sun is depends heavily on your zone and the time of day. In addition, in winter the sun is low in the Alps, and mountains cast long shadows early on parts of the site. So plan your zone with a sun position tool before you set out. How that works is shown in the guide Planning sun position.

• Snow and exposure: White slopes fool the light meter. Raise the exposure or check the histogram, otherwise the snow turns gray.
• Focal length: For landings over the valley and for taxiing up the slope, a medium telephoto is often enough. For details on the helicopters, more focal length pays off. Tips in the article on the right focal length.
• Showing the landscape: A wide frame with mountain scenery and ski run tells more than a frame-filling shot. You’ll find ideas under Wide-angle in spotting.
• Cold: Batteries drain faster in frost. Keep spare batteries warm against your body and let the camera warm up slowly after spotting so it doesn’t fog up.
• Visibility: Flying happens only in visual conditions. On days with low clouds, the altiport often stays quiet. Weather apps help with planning, more under Weather apps for spotters.

The other altiports of the Alps

Courchevel is the most famous but not the only altiport. In the French Alps there are several mountain airfields of this kind. Most are smaller, quieter and used mainly by general aviation and helicopters.

Altiport	ICAO	Special feature
Courchevel	LFLJ	537 m, up to 18.5% slope, highest altiport in Europe according to the operator
Méribel	LFKX	406 m × 15 m, around 11% slope in the middle section
Megève	LFHM	short asphalt runway 15/33 at about 1,470 m
Alpe d’Huez	LFHU	runway 06/24 (around 450 m) at about 1,840 m

Méribel lies in the valley next to Courchevel and made history: this is where the first aircraft landed in a French ski resort. The site was inaugurated on January 29, 1962, and the first aircraft landed there the day after. At 406 meters, the runway is even shorter than at Courchevel. It is operated by the local aero club, and there is no air traffic control: pilots announce themselves on a shared frequency.

Megève in Haute-Savoie lies a few kilometers southeast of the town of the same name. Alpe d’Huez in the Isère department lies right next to the ski resort of the same name. Here too, light aircraft and helicopters shape the picture. If you want to spot at these places, you should first find out whether there are special rules for visitors and, if in doubt, contact the operator.

Getting to Courchevel

Courchevel lies in the Tarentaise valley in Savoie. For spotters, it makes sense to combine the trip with a larger airport.

A winter day in Geneva with the morning ski charter flights and a trip up to Courchevel combine well. Tips for the big Swiss airport are provided by the guide Plane spotting in Geneva and the spot profile of the observation deck at Geneva Airport. How to plan spotting and vacation sensibly is covered in the article Planning a spotting vacation.

Courchevel compared with other extreme airports

Courchevel often appears on lists of the most unusual airports in the world, for example in the History Channel TV series “Most Extreme Airports.” The place is related above all to Lukla in Nepal: there, too, short-takeoff aircraft land uphill on a steep runway with no option to go around. At St. Barthélemy, small turboprops drop over a hill onto a short runway, and at Barra, the Twin Otter lands on a beach. You’ll find more destinations like these in the bucket list of spotting spots worldwide and in the overview of the best plane spotting spots in Europe.

Conclusion

Courchevel is not a place for long type lists. Whoever comes here wants to capture a single scene: an aircraft flying toward a runway with almost 19 percent slope at around 2,000 meters, touching down and rolling up the slope. In season, numerous helicopters and a backdrop of snow, skiers and peaks join in. Stick to the three spotter zones, pick a clear day and plan the light beforehand. Then you get pictures that are possible at hardly any other airfield in Europe.