Samedan Airport
Samedan Airport Flughafen Engadin | |||
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IATA: SMV – ICAO: LSZS | |||
Summary | |||
Airport type | Public and military | ||
Serves | St. Moritz, Switzerland | ||
Location | Samedan | ||
Elevation AMSL | 1,707 m / 5,600 ft | ||
Coordinates | 46°32′02″N 009°53′02″E / 46.53389°N 9.88389°ECoordinates: 46°32′02″N 009°53′02″E / 46.53389°N 9.88389°E | ||
Website | |||
Runways | |||
Direction | Length | Surface | |
m | ft | ||
03/21 | 1,800 | 5,905 | Asphalt |
Sources: DAFIF[1][2] and airport web site[3] |
Samedan Airport (IATA: SMV, ICAO: LSZS), also known as Engadin Airport, is a regional airport in Samedan in the Engadin valley of Switzerland, 5 km from St. Moritz.
Facilities
The airport has one runway designated 03/21 with an asphalt pavement measuring 1800 x 40 metres (5905 x 130 ft).[1][2][3] Because of its location at the bottom of a valley, it is not equipped with an instrument landing system.[4]
Operations
At an elevation of 1,707 metres (5,600 ft), it is one of the highest airports in Europe (after Courchevel). It is also considered one of the most challenging airports in the world because of its difficult topography and winds, and because of the thinness of the air at its altitude.[4] Much of its traffic consists of light to heavy general aviation traffic, including many private-corporate jets, private propeller aircraft, and the fleet of Swiss Jet. One of the biggest planes seen there, more often than not, is the HK Co.'s 737-200 or the A319. The takeoff generally requires the spooling up of engines, with brakes on, to minimize the time on the runway while maximizing as much speed possible. This technique is generally performed by bigger aircraft, with heavier payload.
The airport was used as one of the locations for filming "Where Eagles Dare".
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Airport information for LSZS at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Airport information for SMV at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Engadin Airport, official site
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chapman, Mathias (20 December 2010). "Samedan gilt als anspruchsvollster Flughafen weltweit". Berner Zeitung. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
External links
- Official website
- Current weather for LSZS at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for SMV at Aviation Safety Network
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