Engadin Airport – SMV/LSZS – Runway 03/21

Situated in the High Alps of the Engadin valley near St. Moritz at an elevation of 1,707 meters (5,600 feet), Engadin Airport LSZS/SMV in Samedan is renowned as Europe’s highest airliner-capable regional airport. Established in 1938 and historically linked to the early aviation pioneers who famously landed on the nearby frozen lake, it evolved from an alpine military site into a premier international gateway for business aviation and general flight operations. It features a single asphalt runway, 03/21, measuring 1,800 meters in length and 40 meters in width. Located within deep alpine terrain, its demanding visual and instrumental approach procedures require specialized pilot qualification, while serving as a crucial hub for private jets, gliders, and a permanent high-altitude base for Rega air rescue and HeliBernina helicopter flight service.

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An empty airport runway in the early morning, with fog obscuring the view ahead and mountains faintly visible in the background. The painted markings on the runway and its threshold are clear in the foreground, suggesting a quiet dawn at Engadin Airport.

A fog-shrouded runway marked 03 stretches into the distance; the terminal and the control tower are barely visible through the fog at Engadin Airport SMV.

A foggy runway at Engadin Airport LSZS, etched with distinct rubber marks, stretches out amid mountains at sunrise. The scene is serene, with low mist partially covering the tranquil landscape.

A runway with a white arrow and markings stretches towards distant mountains, partly shrouded in morning mist under a clear sky at Engadin Airport LSZS, with the threshold of runway 21 clearly visible in the foreground.

At Engadin Airport LSZS, the runway stretches towards the distant mountains, some of which are shrouded in morning mist beneath the clear sky, whilst the threshold of Runway 21 is clearly visible in the foreground.

View of the Engadin Airport runway labelled 21, extending into the distance with mist, mountains, and a clear sky in the background.

A cracked airport runway with the number 21 painted on its centre line stretches into the distance at Engadin Airport, surrounded by grass, fog, and mountains under a blue sky.

At Engadin Airport LSZS, a runway with tyre tracks stretches into the distance, surrounded by fog and mountains. There is a building on the right, and the sky is partly clear with low-hanging clouds. In the middle of the runway, the triangular marking for the helipad can be seen.

A wide view of an empty runway with dark tyre marks, surrounded by grass and distant mountains, under a clear sky with light fog.

Cracked runway with a large yellow bullseye at Engadin Airport, misty field and trees in the background, and sunlit mountain peak under a clear sky.

A cracked, tyre-marked runway with a yellow circle is surrounded by grass and mist at Engadin Airport in Samedan, leading into distant mountains on a foggy morning.