A chairlift is one way to see the French Alps. But another, more exhilarating method is to fly into Courchevel Airport. From above, passengers can gaze upon a magnificent view of the region’s snow-dusted peaks and experience a thrilling landing on the airport’s uphill runway, pitched at a gradient of 18.5 percent.
It’s an incredibly gripping spectacle, not least because we were caught completely off-guard by how close we would fly to the mountains – it didn’t seem entirely sensible. In recognition of the potential peril that could strike pilots attempting such a flight, only those with what is termed a “Qualification of Sight” are permitted to land at Courchevel altiport. Fewer than 100 pilots have this licence today, and all of Jetfly’s pilots receive special training to ensure they’re fully capable of flying in challenging mountain settings such as this.