Market notes
On chartering from Courchevel
Courchevel Altiport is not a normal airport, and pricing it like one misses the point. The 537-metre runway sits on an 18.5% slope, meaning aircraft land uphill into the mountain and take off downhill away from it; there is no go-around once a pilot commits, which is why every crew flying the approach must hold a CAT B altiport certification with recurring training. Only a short list of turboprops, the Pilatus PC-12, King Air 350, TBM 850, and Cessna Caravan, are cleared to operate here. Jets are not permitted under any circumstances, regardless of size or performance.
Airport selection for Courchevel is really a two-airport decision made for you by aircraft type. If a PC-12 or equivalent turboprop suits the mission and the weather cooperates, CVF is the only sensible choice: it drops passengers inside Courchevel 1850 in about a minute. If the trip calls for a jet, whether for range, cabin size, or client preference, the aircraft lands at Chambery and the last leg becomes a 1h 15m road transfer or a brief PC-12 connection. We make this call at the quoting stage so there are no surprises on travel day.
Pricing reflects scarcity as much as distance. There are fewer operators certified to fly the CVF approach than fly any comparable flat-runway French field, and the winter-only operating window concentrates demand into roughly four months. A Paris to Courchevel turboprop that costs 8,500 to 10,500 EUR in early December can push toward the top of that range or beyond during Christmas week simply because certified aircraft and crews are booked solid. The no-overnight-parking rule adds a further wrinkle: aircraft must reposition after every drop-off, which is good news for empty-leg hunters but means same-day round trips carry a full repositioning cost.
Seasonality here is binary rather than gradual. The field is closed May through November, full stop, so there is no shoulder-season discount to chase. Within the December to April window, Christmas/New Year week and February half-term are extreme peaks where slots and aircraft sell out weeks ahead; late January and March, once the holiday crowds clear but the snow is still reliable, are the best value windows for flexible travellers.
