Departure
95%
vs 95%
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Samedan Airport, also known as Engadin Airport, is a regional aerodrome in the Upper Engadin valley of Graubunden, Switzerland, about 5 km from St Moritz. Sitting at over 5,500 feet amid peaks rising to 3,000 metres, it is the highest airport in Switzerland and one of the most demanding fields in Europe to fly into, making it a notable challenge for any VFR pilot. It handles no scheduled airline services, its traffic being almost entirely general aviation and private jets.
Samedan Airport (ICAO: LSZS, IATA: SMV) lies in the town of Samedan in the Engadin valley of the Swiss canton of Graubunden, some 5 km from the resort of St Moritz. It is operated by Engadin Airport AG and, at an elevation of around 5,587 feet, is the highest airport in Switzerland and the second-highest airliner-capable airport in Europe after Courchevel. The combination of high altitude, thin air, mountain winds and a single runway hemmed in by peaks up to 3,000 metres makes it one of the most demanding fields in the world to operate into, which is exactly what draws many simulator pilots to attempt it. Traffic is overwhelmingly general aviation, ranging from light propeller types to heavy private-corporate jets.
Samedan sits within the Zurich Flight Information Region and is served by its own Flight Information Zone (FIZ), known as Samedan Info, which extends along the valley roughly between VFR reporting points E and W and is bounded in width by the valley itself. Above the valley floor the airspace over the Alps in this area is Class D, based above FL130 (or FL150 when military airspace is inactive, typically at weekends) up to FL195. Because IFR flight is not possible below FL140 in the vicinity due to the surrounding mountains, arriving and departing IFR traffic must join or leave the airport visually, cancelling or picking up IFR clearance overhead the field or at reporting points such as PELAD. The airport lies in the valley bottom below St Moritz, with the Julier and Maloja passes forming natural boundaries to the traffic pattern.
Samedan has a single asphalt runway, aligned 03/21, that is lit. The published landing lengths are 6,041 feet for runway 03 and 5,680 feet for runway 21. There is no instrument landing system at the field, a consequence of its position at the bottom of a narrow alpine valley.
The field is served by a Flight Information Zone rather than a full ATC unit. Published frequencies are: A/G 123.67 MHz (Glider), ATIS 136.6 MHz, GND 121.6 MHz, INFO 138.05 MHz, and TWR 135.325 MHz. There is no instrument landing system, and the surrounding terrain means IFR operations are only practical for RNAV-equipped aircraft down to the levels used for the visual segment; visual reference and a clear valley are essential for the final approach and landing.
Runway 03 is the preferred landing direction unless tailwind conditions make it unsuitable. The pattern is a standard left-hand circuit flown on the northern side of the valley towards the Julier pass. Traffic arriving from the north typically turns right onto the downwind leg before reaching the airport, while traffic from the south overflies the field and turns left onto downwind. Aircraft remain at a high level, around FL130 to FL140, through the downwind leg, with landing configuration (gear and flaps) established before turning onto final near the Maloja pass, since there is little distance remaining once established on the inbound heading. IFR arrivals must make a decision, typically overhead PELAD or the airport itself at FL140, on whether the approach path including downwind and final can be flown visually before cancelling IFR.
The lakes of Silvaplanersee and Silsersee, lying along the valley to the southwest of the airport, serve as useful visual references on the downwind leg. The Julier and Maloja passes mark the extremities of the circuit and valley, and the intersection PELAD is commonly used as a decision or clearance point for IFR traffic transitioning to visual flight before joining the pattern.
Samedan was one of five locations identified by Swiss authorities at the end of the Second World War for development as second-tier regional airports, supporting the country's primary urban airfields. In August 2025 residents of the eleven municipalities of the Upper Engadine voted in a referendum on contributing 38 million Swiss francs of a planned 68.5 million franc investment to modernise the airport, with the remainder coming from the federal government and the canton of Graubunden; the rescue organisation Rega is also building a new base at the airport at its own expense as part of the works. The proposal was approved by 54.36 percent of participating voters, on a turnout of 45.64 percent.
Samedan handles no scheduled passenger flights, the nearest airports with such services being Lugano, Milan Malpensa and Zurich, all well over 100 km away by road. Its traffic today consists largely of general aviation, from private propeller aircraft to heavy corporate jets, drawn partly by its role serving the St Moritz resort area. In 2022 the airport recorded 15,923 movements. Its combination of high elevation, thin air and mountainous surrounds continues to be cited as making it one of the most operationally demanding airports anywhere, a reputation that persists even as the airfield's infrastructure is being modernised.