Departure
93%
vs 95% ▼ 3
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Ambri Airport is a private general aviation field at Quinto in the Ticino Alps of Switzerland, occupying a dramatic position in the steep-sided valley of the Ticino river. Once a Swiss Air Force base sheltering fighter squadrons in mountain bunkers, it is today used for VFR flying, gliding and helicopter operations, making it a striking and technically demanding destination for the simulator pilot.
Ambri Airport (ICAO: LSPM) is a private Swiss general aviation airport near the village of Ambrì, in the municipality of Quinto, canton of Ticino. It serves the surrounding alpine area and is home to a gliding school and a helicopter base, with sufficiency for VFR flying. Set at an elevation of 3,238 feet in a steep-sided alpine valley, it is an atmospheric and challenging field for sim pilots, combining striking mountain scenery with a strong military heritage.
The airport lies in the steep-sided valley of the Ticino river near the village of Ambrì, in the municipality of Quinto, Ticino. It is flanked to the north by the A2 motorway and the Ticino river, and to the south by the Gotthard railway line and the villages of Ambri and Piotta, placing it firmly within a narrow alpine corridor.
Ambri has a single hard-surfaced runway aligned 11/29, both directions lit. Runway 11 has a landing length of 4,381 feet, while runway 29 offers 3,277 feet; there is no ILS.
Aerodrome flight information service is provided on 118.525 MHz (AFIS). Flight information for the wider area is available from Zurich Information on 124.7 MHz (French and German). There is no instrument landing system at the field.
The airfield is readily identified by its position in the narrow Ticino valley: the A2 motorway and Ticino river run along its northern edge, while the Gotthard railway line and the villages of Ambri and Piotta lie to the south, giving pilots clear linear features to follow when approaching the strip.
Ambri Airport began life as a Swiss Air Force base built during the Second World War, serving as home to Fighter Squadron 8. Over the years the squadron operated the EKW C-35, Messerschmitt Bf 109, de Havilland Vampire, de Havilland Venom and Hawker Hunter. The surrounding mountains housed bunkers containing tactical buildings, fighter aircraft and troops, with taxiways running from these caverns under the A2 motorway and over the Ticino river to reach the airfield. The Air Force base was deactivated in 1994, after which the airfield was converted for civilian use; the former aircraft caverns still exist today, though empty.
Ambri is now a private civilian airport supporting general aviation, with a resident gliding school and a helicopter base, and is considered sufficient for VFR flying. As a private field, prior permission is likely required before visiting.