Serre-Chevalier Airfield
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Altiport de Serre-Chevalier | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Defunct | ||||||||||
| Serves | Briançon, France | ||||||||||
| Location | Briançon, France | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 44°57′12″N 006°33′00″E / 44.95333°N 6.55000°E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  Serre-Chevalier Airfield Location in France | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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Serre-Chevalier Altiport (also known as Villeneuve) is a demolished private airport and resort in Briançon, France.
History
[edit]In the 1960s, developer André Jullien visited Briançon, and was intrigued towards the idea of flying over the mountings. He later purchased a plot of land in La Salle-Les-Alpes and diverted to Guisane. He begun the construction of the Serre-Chevalier Altiport which featured a 1000-meter long runway accommodated by a 70-room luxury hotel, and various other amenities. This would allow tourist planes to land in the valley. In 1965, the airfield was opened after lots of flattening, and the runway was considered one of the longest in Europe at the time. It was used by wealthy private plane travelers from across Europe.[1][2][3]
In the 1970sk Air Alpes offered to serve at the altiport. It hosted regular flights from Air Alpes to serve the nearby ski resorts in the Briançonnais, with Master Pilot Michel Ziegler at the controls.[2] To land on the runway, pilots would have to be qualified, in which there were only 350 pilots in the world qualified for mountains at the time.[4]
Closure
[edit]In 1973, the creation of the Parc des Ecrins which protected 92,000 hectares of mountains prevented further development, leading to its closure in 1976.
Redevelopment
[edit]In the 1980s, the airfield was dismantled, and the site was later converted into tennis courts and a car ice racing circuit. Only two hangars remain today.[1][2]
The site is currently occupied as the Briançon Sports Park, operated with several courts hosting volleyball and tennis venues.[5][2]
Today, and for more than 30 years, the runway has disappeared, replaced by buildings and thus concrete. It can be repositioned with the alignment of the streets. Towards the parking area, the old structures (hotel) and pool/ice rink (now horses) can still be guessed. As for the runway threshold on the west side, it has become an ice circuit for automobiles. The Guisane river is still there in its bed.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Airfield Serre Chevalier". Forgotten Airfields. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ a b c d e "AirAlpes". AirAlpes. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ^ "Il était une fois l'altiport de Serre Chevalier". Le Dauphiné Libéré. March 7, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ "La station a perdu de sa gloire en fermant son altiport". Le Dauphiné Libéré. March 7, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ "Tennis Club - Serre Chevalier". Serre Chevalier Official Website. Retrieved 2024-10-13.