Saanen. Land five minutes from Gstaad, with the car waiting and the diversion field covered.
A single strip on the valley floor at a thousand metres, with prior permission required for every movement and no instrument approach. When it works it is the shortest arrival in the Alps.
The airfield
Saanen at a glance
- CodeLSGKThe airfield at Saanen in the Bernese Oberland, generally called Gstaad Airport.
- To GstaadA few kilometresFive to ten minutes by road down the valley, weather allowing.
- ElevationAbout 1,001 metresRoughly 3,284 feet, which reduces the performance available on a warm day.
- Runway08/26, 1,400 by 40 metresAsphalt, on the valley floor with high ground on both sides.
- AircraftTurboprops and light jetsTypes such as the PC-12, PC-24, King Air and the smaller Citation and Phenom families.
- PermissionPPR for arrival and departurePrior permission is required for every movement, requested through the airfield in advance.
- ApproachVisual, in daylightThere is no instrument approach. Weather in the valley decides whether the flight happens.
- OperatorA local airfield cooperativeA small operation with local noise rules, not a commercial airport with an FBO chain.
This is a mountain airfield, not a business aviation hub. Everything on this page is context for your conversation with the operator, not a statement about what your aircraft can do.
Journey times
From Saanen by road
| To | Clear roads | Winter or busy periods |
|---|---|---|
| Gstaad village and the Palace | 5 to 10 minutes | 10 to 20 minutes |
| Schonried and Saanenmoser | 10 to 20 minutes | 20 to 35 minutes |
| Chateau-d'Oex | 20 to 30 minutes | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Montreux and Lake Geneva | 60 to 80 minutes | 80 to 110 minutes |
| Bern | 75 to 95 minutes | 95 to 130 minutes |
| Geneva Airport | 2 hours to 2 hours 30 | 2 hours 30 to 3 hours 30 |
| Zurich Airport | 2 hours 45 to 3 hours 15 | 3 hours 15 to 4 hours |
Realistic ranges, not promises. Winter changes everything here: snow on the Col des Mosses and the Saanenmoser, and heavy Saturday changeover traffic on the approach roads.
The honest version
When Saanen works, and when it does not
On a clear winter morning Saanen is the best arrival in the Alps: you land a few minutes from the chalet and the whole business of a mountain transfer disappears. The catch is that it is a visual airfield in a valley. There is no instrument approach, the runway is short at altitude, and every movement needs permission in advance. Low cloud, fresh snow or a warm afternoon can each make the difference between landing at Saanen and landing somewhere else, which in practice means two plans agreed before you travel rather than improvised in the air.
Our working assumption for any Gstaad arrival is therefore simple: a car at Saanen, and a car ready at the diversion field. Sion is the usual alternative for an aircraft that has already left, at roughly two hours by road over the Col du Pillon or round through Aigle. Geneva and Zurich are the fallbacks when the flight is retimed altogether. None of this costs you anything to discuss at the quote stage, and it saves an afternoon when the weather turns.
On the day
Where the car waits and how we meet you
Saanen is small, so a meet and greet is exactly what it should be: the chauffeur on the apron side of a very short walk, taking the skis and the bags straight to the car. We track the flight, we speak to whoever is handling your movement, and where the airfield permits it, the car is brought close to the aircraft. That is the airfield's decision, and a small operation with local noise and access rules will say no more often than a large one, so we confirm rather than assume.
What we handle
Details that matter in the Saanenland
Mountain weather, a permission based airfield, and a chalet you have to actually reach.
- Flight tracking and a car timed to the real arrival, with the diversion field covered in the same quote
- Coordination with whoever is handling your movement at the airfield
- Winter tyres and chains as standard through the season, on every vehicle working the valley
- Chalet access checked in advance, including the steeper lanes above Gstaad and Schonried
- Skis, boot bags and pushchairs planned for, with a second vehicle where the luggage needs it
- Onward road legs to Geneva, Zurich, Sion and the other Swiss resorts
Coverage
Our cars, and cars we arrange
Odyssey owns its cars and employs its chauffeurs in London and Manchester, and works through a trusted global network everywhere else. In Switzerland, cars are arranged through operators we know, using vehicles and chauffeurs who work these valleys through the winter, and you deal with our team throughout on one number. Aircraft and helicopters are arranged: see private jet charter, turboprops and helicopter charter. For the resort itself, see Gstaad.
Onward
Where Saanen passengers go next
Other airports
Aircraft that suit the field
Request a quote
Tell us the arrival
Date, tail number or operator, passengers, skis and luggage, and the chalet or hotel. Tell us the diversion field your operator has nominated and we will cover it in the same quote. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Saanen transfers
What size of aircraft can use Saanen?
Turboprops and light jets, on a 1,400 metre runway at about a thousand metres of elevation. Heavier types go to Sion, Geneva or Zurich. Your operator decides against the day's conditions and weight.
Do we need permission to land?
Yes. Prior permission is required for arrival and departure, and your operator requests it through the airfield in advance. In the December to February peak, parking is the constraint as much as the slot.
What happens if the weather closes the valley?
The approach is visual, so a low cloud base means a diversion. We quote the diversion field alongside Saanen and have a car ready there, which usually means Sion, Geneva or Zurich.
Can you arrange the aircraft as well?
Yes. See private jet charter and turboprops.
