Private jets at Engadin Airport
Engadin Airport at Samedan, north-east of St. Moritz, sits at 5,600 ft and calls itself Europe's highest-altitude airport. It is open in daylight only, with no night operation and no runway lighting. Every pilot must pass the airport's own online briefing and test, the airport is the handler for every aircraft over 4 tonnes, jet arrivals need good visibility, and instrument flight plans are limited when military airspace is active.
- Longest runway
- 1,840 m
- Codes
- SMV · LSZS
- Business aviation handling
- Engadin Airport AG
Did you knowEngadin Airport describes itself as the highest-altitude airport in Europe, at an elevation of 5,600 feet, surrounded by the mountains of the Engadin valley. Engadin Airport: pilot familiarisation briefing LSZS (version 05/2026)
One of 9 airports in our Alps guide.
Charter a private jet to Engadin Airport
Engadin Airport at Samedan, just north-east of St. Moritz, sits at 5,600 ft and calls itself Europe's highest-altitude airport. It works in daylight only: in winter it opens at 08:00 and closes at the end of evening civil twilight, as early as 17:16 in December. Every pilot needs the airport's own briefing and test, jets cannot land in poor visibility or low cloud, and Engadin Airport handles every jet itself.
Send the trip and we'll come back with clear quotes from vetted operators.
Independent UK charter broker since 2015 · Volairis Ltd, Companies House 09488748 · Member of The Air Charter Association
What the private terminal is like at Engadin
Private flights use a business aviation handler rather than the main passenger terminal.
Engadin Airport AG
The airport company is the handler, and handling is obligatory for every aircraft over 4,000 kg all year. Services include limousine or minibus transfers to and from the aircraft, baggage, crew support with customs, hotel, taxi, car hire and catering bookings, fuel (Jet A1 and Avgas), ground power, de-icing (type 1) and fire cover in ICAO categories 1 to 6. Handling contact: handling@engadin-airport.ch.
Customs at Engadin, step by step
What happens on an international flight, in the order you meet it. We handle the paperwork with the operator.
- When you book, we ask for each passenger's passport details for the operator.
- Engadin Airport handles every aircraft over 4 tonnes. The operator requests parking, and signs the airport's handling agreement in advance if the aircraft is staying overnight.
- Customs is available throughout the airport's opening hours, so the flight has to land before the airport closes.
- On a flight from outside the Schengen area, such as the UK, every passenger and crew member goes in person to passport control, on arrival and again on departure.
- Goods to declare are declared to the border staff at the clearance pavilion, or in writing at the declaration box when it is unstaffed.
Which private jets can use Engadin?
On runway length, every turboprop, very light jet, light jet, super light jet, midsize jet, super midsize and heavy jet type is within it; some ultra long range and VIP airliner types fit, others only with less fuel or fewer passengers. The check below uses each type's published take-off distance at maximum weight, at sea level on a 15°C day. Heat, altitude, a wet runway and the operator's own rules can need more, so we confirm it for your aircraft and date.
Every pilot must have passed Engadin Airport's online familiarisation briefing and test within the last two years. There is no night operation and no runway lighting. The runway closes to jet arrivals when visibility is below 5 km or cloud is below 2,200 ft above the airport, and the instrument approach to runway 03 ends at 11,400 ft, with the rest flown visually. When military training areas are active, only flight plans that switch to visual flight are accepted, and fire cover goes up to ICAO category 6.
| Aircraft class | On this runway |
|---|---|
| Turboprop 5–8 seats · take-off 730–1,000 m · Pilatus PC-12 NGX | Yes |
| Very light jet 4–5 seats · take-off 630–1,100 m | Yes |
| Light jet 6–7 seats · take-off 960–1,200 m · Embraer Phenom 300E | Yes |
| Super light jet 7–8 seats · take-off 820–1,350 m | Yes |
| Midsize jet 8–9 seats · take-off 1,100–1,660 m · Cessna Citation XLS+ | Yes |
| Super midsize 9–10 seats · take-off 1,400–1,600 m · Bombardier Challenger 350 | Yes |
| Heavy jet 12–14 seats · take-off 1,430–1,780 m · Dassault Falcon 7X | Yes, though the longest-legged types need a performance check |
| Ultra long range 13–19 seats · take-off 1,700–1,970 m · Bombardier Global 7500 | Some types (6 of 8); others with less fuel or fewer passengers |
| VIP airliner 18–50+ seats · take-off 1,500–2,100 m | Some types (1 of 5); others with less fuel or fewer passengers |
Worth knowing before you fly
- The winter day is short. The airport opens at 08:00 and closes at the end of civil twilight, as early as 17:16 in December, and there is no night flying. We plan the departure from London backwards from closing time, with a margin for weather and de-icing.
- Every pilot needs Engadin Airport's own online briefing and test, renewed every two years. We confirm the operator's crew hold it before we offer an aircraft.
- Jets cannot land when visibility is under 5 km or cloud is below 2,200 ft above the airport, and when military training areas are active only part-visual flight plans are accepted. We always plan a fallback airport and road or helicopter transfer.
- Space on the apron and in the hangars is limited. Parking is on request and an overnight stay needs the airport's handling agreement signed in advance, so we book as soon as dates are fixed, especially for the busy winter weekends.
Events Engadin serves
From our events calendar: what the airport is used for, and the transfer to the venue on an ordinary day.
Christmas and New Year in the Alps
About 10 minutes by road to St Moritz.
Private jets to the Alps for Christmas and New YearWorld Economic Forum, Davos
By road through the Vereina car-train tunnel to Klosters, or by helicopter where permitted.
Private jets to the World Economic Forum in DavosSnow Polo World Cup St. Moritz
About 10 minutes by road.
Private jets to the Snow Polo World Cup in St. MoritzFebruary half term in the Alps
About 10 minutes by road to St Moritz.
Private jets to the Alps for February half termEaster in the Alps
About 10 minutes by road to St Moritz.
Private jets to the Alps for EasterOperating information
For business and private flights. Details change, so we check them again for your date.
Airport
| Opening hours | Engadin Airport (operating-times page): open 365 days a year; summer 08:00-19:00 local; winter from 08:00 local until the end of evening civil twilight. The airport's familiarisation briefing (version 05/2026) gives the same in UTC: summer 06:00-17:00 UTC, winter 07:00 UTC to sunset plus 30 minutes, and states no night operation. The airport's opening calendar for winter 2026-27 shows opening at 08:00 local every day and closing at 17:31 on 13 November, 17:16 on 8-11 December (the earliest), 17:26 on 31 December and 18:00 on 28 January 2027; it notes that NOTAMs and the AIP take precedence. Customs clearance is available without restriction during opening hours. Swiss federal law (OSIA art. 39, consolidated text of 1 July 2026) bans take-offs and landings of non-commercial flights 22:00-06:00 local at all Swiss aerodromes. |
|---|---|
| Prior permission | The airport's briefing lists PPR only for IFR approaches by piston-engine aircraft and for multiple IFR training approaches (ppr.smv@engadin-airport.ch). Aircraft parking is available only on request, and the Standard Ground Handling Agreement must be signed and returned to Engadin Airport before any overnight stop (AIP Switzerland GEN 4.1, page dated 29 October 2026). Handling by Engadin Airport is obligatory for all aircraft over 4,000 kg (airport tariff from 1 December 2025). |
| Customs and immigration | Customs (Swiss Federal Office for Customs and Border Security) is available during operating hours, and the airport says clearance is available without restriction while it is open. The airport's customs leaflet (17 December 2019) says border checks are carried out by the border guard at the airport; passport checks are mandatory for travellers from non-Schengen destinations, and all travellers, crew included, must appear in person at passport control on arrival and departure. Goods are declared to the border guard at the clearance pavilion, or, when it is unstaffed, by written self-declaration in a box on the airside wall of the pavilion. |
| Slots | No airport slot system is published. On busy winter days EUROCONTROL can regulate arrivals at the airport's request: in the 2025-26 ski season notice the arrival rate was 4 per hour in normal operation and 6 per hour when only Y/Z (mixed IFR/VFR) flight plans were accepted, with a zero rate possible from the end of civil twilight when demand exceeded what the airport could handle; that notice ran 27 November 2025 to 15 April 2026 (check for your date). On very busy good-weather days the IFR procedures can be suspended by NOTAM, with at least 12 hours' notice for 08:00-12:00 and 4 hours' notice for 12:00 to closing. |
| Noise and night restrictions | Crews must check that the aircraft's noise class is allowed at Samedan. For jets, more than idle reverse thrust is for safety only, and the APU may start no earlier than 30 minutes before off-block and must be shut down within 15 minutes of parking. Pilots avoid flying over towns, villages and noise-sensitive areas where possible. Swiss federal law (OSIA art. 39) bans non-commercial take-offs and landings 22:00-06:00 local. |
| Aircraft parking | Parking is available only on request, and the Standard Ground Handling Agreement must be signed and returned before an overnight stop. The agreement warns that parking and hangar space is limited and that aircraft will be parked outside and close to each other. Hangar space for aircraft over 7,000 kg is on request. Marshallers guide aircraft on the tight apron, and jets taxi with minimum power because of jet blast. |
| De-icing | Engadin Airport offers de-icing with type 1 fluid (ground handling page); its tariff lists de-icing and de-frosting categories up to Gulfstream IV/V and Global Express size. |
| Other restrictions | Use of the airport is restricted to pilots who have completed Engadin Airport's online familiarisation briefing and passed its test before the flight; the certificate is valid for 2 years and must be carried and shown on request. Samedan has an aerodrome flight information service (AFIS), not air traffic control, in class E and G airspace. There is no runway or approach lighting and no night operation. The runway closes to arriving aircraft of approach category B and above when visibility is below 5 km or the cloud ceiling is below 2,200 ft above the airport, and to all traffic below 2,000 m visibility. The instrument approach to runway 03 has a minimum descent altitude of 11,400 ft, after which the approach is flown visually; aircraft of category B and above can also cancel IFR and fly a visual approach via Maloja or Zernez. IFR routes and procedures depend on military activity in the temporary reserved areas over eastern Switzerland: when they are active, only Y flight plans (IFR then VFR) are accepted. The PAPIs (4.4 and 4.49 degrees) are offset 5 degrees from the runway axis and do not guarantee obstacle clearance. Gliders are busy May to September and have landing priority. The airport's briefing says to check NOTAMs for special rules during the World Economic Forum in Davos, usually at the end of January. |
Runways
| 03/21 | 1,840 m, asphalt/concrete |
|---|
Flying times
Airports near Engadin
Caiolo Sondrio
Mollis
Ambri
More airport guides nearby: St.Gallen-Altenrhein Airport (People's Airport), Milan Linate Airport, Milan Malpensa Airport, Innsbruck Airport, Zurich Airport, Venice Marco Polo Airport.
Questions
Is there a private terminal at Engadin Airport?
Private flights are handled by Engadin Airport AG, rather than through the main passenger terminal.
What are Engadin Airport's opening hours for private flights?
Engadin Airport (operating-times page): open 365 days a year; summer 08:00-19:00 local; winter from 08:00 local until the end of evening civil twilight. The airport's familiarisation briefing (version 05/2026) gives the same in UTC: summer 06:00-17:00 UTC, winter 07:00 UTC to sunset plus 30 minutes, and states no night operation. The airport's opening calendar for winter 2026-27 shows opening at 08:00 local every day and closing at 17:31 on 13 November, 17:16 on 8-11 December (the earliest), 17:26 on 31 December and 18:00 on 28 January 2027; it notes that NOTAMs and the AIP take precedence. Customs clearance is available without restriction during opening hours. Swiss federal law (OSIA art. 39, consolidated text of 1 July 2026) bans take-offs and landings of non-commercial flights 22:00-06:00 local at all Swiss aerodromes.
Can I clear customs at Engadin Airport on a private flight?
Customs (Swiss Federal Office for Customs and Border Security) is available during operating hours, and the airport says clearance is available without restriction while it is open. The airport's customs leaflet (17 December 2019) says border checks are carried out by the border guard at the airport; passport checks are mandatory for travellers from non-Schengen destinations, and all travellers, crew included, must appear in person at passport control on arrival and departure. Goods are declared to the border guard at the clearance pavilion, or, when it is unstaffed, by written self-declaration in a box on the airside wall of the pavilion.
What size of private jet can use Engadin?
The longest runway is 1,840 m. Going by each type's published take-off distance at maximum weight: every turboprop, very light jet, light jet, super light jet, midsize jet, super midsize and heavy jet type is within it; some ultra long range and VIP airliner types fit, others only with less fuel or fewer passengers. Every pilot must have passed Engadin Airport's online familiarisation briefing and test within the last two years. There is no night operation and no runway lighting. The runway closes to jet arrivals when visibility is below 5 km or cloud is below 2,200 ft above the airport, and the instrument approach to runway 03 ends at 11,400 ft, with the rest flown visually. When military training areas are active, only flight plans that switch to visual flight are accepted, and fire cover goes up to ICAO category 6. The operator confirms performance for your aircraft, load and date.
Which events do people fly to Engadin for?
On our events calendar: Christmas and New Year in the Alps (about 10 minutes by road to St Moritz); World Economic Forum, Davos (By road through the Vereina car-train tunnel to Klosters, or by helicopter where permitted); Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz (about 10 minutes by road); February half term in the Alps (about 10 minutes by road to St Moritz); Easter in the Alps (about 10 minutes by road to St Moritz). Slots and parking fill early on event dates, so book as soon as your plans are firm.
What are the fees for a private jet at Engadin?
Our quotes include landing and handling fees, along with fuel, crew and taxes. What the airport and handler charge depends mainly on the aircraft's size and the time of day. Out-of-hours, de-icing and special event fees can be extra, and we tell you which could apply before you book.
Can we have catering on a private flight to Engadin?
Yes. Tell us what you would like when you book and the operator orders it for the flight. Depending on the operator and region it is either included or charged separately, and we tell you which before you book.
Checked 13 November 2026 from published airport, government and handler information (engadin-airport.ch, opening.engadin-airport.ch, fedlex.data.admin.ch, nm.eurocontrol.int). Not for operational use; we confirm everything for your flight.
